A carapace is a dorsal section of an exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups. In Anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run fly or swim in a horizontal position and the back side of animals (like humans that walk upright An exoskeleton is an external Skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body in contrast to the internal Endoskeleton of for example a Human.

Diagram of a prawn, with the carapace highlighted in orange

Crustaceans

In crustaceans, the carapace is a part of the exoskeleton that covers the cephalothorax. Prawns are Crustaceans belonging to the sub-order Dendrobranchiata   Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting The cephalothorax (call prosoma in some groups is an anatomical term used in Arachnids and Malacostracan Crustaceans for the It is particularly well developed in lobsters and crabs. Clawed lobsters compose a family ( Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine Crustaceans Lobsters are economically important as Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy It functions as a protective cover over the cephalothorax. Where it projects forward beyond the eyes, this projection is called a rostrum. A rostrum ( Latin for "beak" is an anatomical structure resembling a bird's beak, such as the snout of a Crocodile or Dolphin The carapace is calcified to varying degrees in different crustaceans. Zooplankton within the phylum Crustacea also have a carapace. Zooplankton are the Heterotrophic (sometimes detritivorous) type of Plankton. These include Cladocera, Copepods, Ostracods, Amphipods, and Isopods. Cladocera or cladocerans are small Crustaceans commonly called Water fleas, part of the Class Branchiopoda. Copepods are a group of small Crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat and they constitute the biggest source of protein in the oceans Ostracoda is a class of the Crustacea, sometimes known as the seed shrimp because of their appearance Amphipoda (amphipods are an order of animals that includes over 7000 described Species of Shrimp -like Crustaceans ranging from 1 mm to 140 mm Isopods are one of the most diverse orders of Crustaceans with many species living in all environments but are most common in shallow marine waters

Diagram of an arachnid, with the carapace highlighted in purple

Arachnida

In arachnids, the carapace is formed by the fusion of prosomal (= of cephalothorax) tergites into a single plate which carries the eyes, ocularium, ozopores (a pair of openings of the scent gland of Opiliones) and diverse phaneres. Arachnids are a class ( Arachnida) of joint-legged Invertebrate Animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnids are a class ( Arachnida) of joint-legged Invertebrate Animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. The cephalothorax (call prosoma in some groups is an anatomical term used in Arachnids and Malacostracan Crustaceans for the A tergum (plural terga, associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal portion of an Arthropod segment other than the head An ozopore is a defensive gland present in harvestmen, which are eight-legged arachnids also known as "daddy long-legs" Harvestmen are eight-legged Invertebrate animals belonging to the order Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) in the class Arachnida in the subphylum In a few orders, such as Solifugae and Schizomida it may be subdivided. Solifugae is an order of Arachnida containing more than 1000 described Species in about 140 genera. Schizomida is an order of Arachnids superficially resembling spiders and generally less than 5mm in length In Opiliones some authors prefer to use the term carapace interchangeably with cephalothorax, which is incorrect, because carapace refers only to the dorsal part of it.

The suits of a turtle's carapace

Turtles and tortoises

The carapace is the dorsal, convex part of the shell structure of a turtle, consisting primarily of the animal's broad ribcage. Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of In Vertebrate Anatomy, ribs ( Latin costae) are the long curved Bones which form the ribcage. The spine and ribs are fused to bony plates beneath the skin which interlock to form a hard shell. In Human anatomy, the vertebral column ( backbone or spine) is a column of 34 Vertebrae the Sacrum, Intervertebral Exterior to the skin the shell is covered by scutes, horny plates which protect the shell from scrapes and bruises. Turtles can survive surprisingly severe injuries to the carapace, and even deep cracks or missing portions can fill in with bone and heal. The softshell turtles, pig-nose turtle and leatherback sea turtle lack scutes and the bony carapace is covered only by skin. Trionychidae is a taxonomic family which comprises a number of Turtle genera commonly known as soft-shell turtles. The Pig-nosed Turtle ( Carettochelys insculpta) also known as the Australasian Pig-nose Turtle Pitted-shelled Turtle Plateless Turtle or Fly River Turtle is a Species The leatherback turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living turtles The carapaces of many species of turtles are brightly colored and patterned and allow individuals to identify others of their species at a distance. The carapaces expand and grow outward like growth rings on a tree as the turtle or tortoise matures. The consistency of the carapace resembles hard keratin rather than bone. Keratins are a family of fibrous structural proteins; tough and insoluble they form the hard but nonmineralized structures found in Reptiles Birds The plastron makes up the lower half of a turtle's shell. The plastron is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a Turtle or Tortoise, what one would call the belly similar in composition to the Carapace