The benefit of a turtle's shell is clear. It's armor that moves with turtles and protects them from animals that want to make them lunch. ... This is important because, unlike other creatures with hard exteriors, like armadillos, a turtle shell is actually part of the bone structure of the animal, not scales.

Can a turtle live without a shell?

The answer is no!

They likely could not survive a couple minutes or even seconds without it. A turtle's shell includes bones and nerve endings that it needs to live and function. The shell is an important part of a turtle's anatomy which includes their rib cage, spinal cord, and nerve endings.

How did the turtle get its shell?

In turtles, the ribs and vertebrae grow into the outer skin layers and connect together like tectonic plates, forming a solid shell. ... This means that in turtles, unlike crocodiles, the outer shell is actually integrated into the rest of the skeleton.