Tortoiseshell Tortoiseshell 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 an endangered species largely because of its exploitation for the material. The large size, fine colour 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. Tortoiseshell was widely used from ancient times in the West
Wood turtle Wood turtle The wood turtle ("Glyptemys insculpta") is a species of turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus "Glyptemys", a genus which contains only one other species of turtle: the bog turtle ("Glyptemys muhlenbergii" ). The wood turtle reaches a straight carapace length of , its defining characteristic being the pyramidal shape of the scutes on its upper shell. Morphologically, it is similar to the bog turtle, spotted turtle ("Clemmys guttata"), and Blanding's turtle ("Emydoidea blandingii"). The wood turtle exists in a broad geographic range extending from Nova Scotia in the north (and east) to Minnesota in