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Scutes on an Aldabra giant tortoise
Close-up of scutes on an Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea). The shields, or scutes, made of keratin, make up the top layer of the carapace of a tortoise. The shell is a structure of adapted and fused bones covered in a dermal layer, which is itself covered by the scutes. In older tortoises, the scute growth rings do not appear to relate to the age of the animal. Growth takes place at the edge of each shield or scute in the band between the scutes. This specimen has a formation called pyramiding which may occur in the wild but is more common in captivity. The scutes grow upwards in a pyramid shape rather than forming a smooth domed surface. This Aldabra giant tortoise comes from islands in the Indian Ocean., Photo by MARTYN F. CHILLMAID/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
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