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tortoise shell

Mottled, flexible, brownish material made from the shells of turtles

EntityQ2141546

Also known as tortoiseshell

Subclass of: animal product

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle, mainly the hawksbill sea turtle, which is a critically endangered species according to the IUCN Red List largely because of its exploitation for this trade. The large size, fine color, and unusual form of the hawksbill's scutes make it especially suitable. The distinctive patterning is referred to in names such as the tortoiseshell cat, several breeds of guinea pig, and the common names of several species of the butterfly genera Nymphalis and Aglais, and some other uses.

Overview

All data

17 statements · 18% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Natural product of taxon: Testudines applies to part: turtle shell

On other databases

14 identifiers linking tortoise shell across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

18%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 23, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). tortoise shell (Q2141546). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/tortoise-shell-Q2141546