We often call a snail's shell 'house'. But there are also naked snails (=slug).
What about tortoises? Is their shell like a house or an important part of their body? If a tortoise lost its shell, would it be naked or homeless?
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The shell of a tortoise is physically attached to the rest of the skeletal structure. That being said, it's simply not possible for a tortoise (or snail, though, for slightly different reasons) to leave its shell.
If a tortoise lost its shell, would it be naked or homeless?
It would be both naked & homeless, as well as dead.
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$\begingroup$ That’s a great picture. Where is it from? $\endgroup$ – canadianer Dec 21 '17 at 22:10
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1$\begingroup$ @canadianer I thought so too! I obtained the image from DK, however, it appears to be widely used throughout the web, so I'm not sure if that's the original source. $\endgroup$ – user22020 Dec 21 '17 at 22:54
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3$\begingroup$ Thanks. I’d love to see how the skeleton moves to retract the head inside the shell. $\endgroup$ – canadianer Dec 21 '17 at 22:55
