Carapace
![Diagram of a prawn, with the carapace highlighted in red.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Penaeus_diagram_carapace2509.png")
![The molted carapace of a lady crab from Long Beach, New York.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Crab_from_Long_Island2509.jpg")
![A Greek tortoise shell opened to show the skeleton from below](/Images/godic/202501/03/Cmglee_Horniman_turtle_carapace_skeleton_bottom2510.jpg")
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.