Turtles do NOT live in their shells as the shocking reality horrified Twitter users who were ‘grossly misinformed’

TWITTER users were horrified to learn of a common misconception that had a much more shocking reality.

A now-viral tweet, which is still doing the rounds, featured an image of a turtle’s skeleton showing the animal’s hollowed-out carapace.

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“A daily reminder that turtles are not in their shells” the tweet read. “They *are* their shells.”

Many users were shocked upon hearing the information and shared GIFs and images to express their emotions.

According to EveryReptiles.com, turtles and tortoises are the only animals that have shells as part of their bodies.

“Carapaces are essential to the survival of all turtles, and domesticated species are no different,” the website states.

“They provide protection and support many biological processes in a turtle’s body.”

A turtle shell has two main parts, the carapace, the upper part that many consider to be the turtle’s back.

The second part is the plastron, the lower part that is considered to be the turtle’s belly.

Shells are used to protect the turtle’s vital organs and make it harder for predators to bite them, even if they have strong jaws.

According to science, it’s still unclear how a turtle’s shell evolved, but how and why the animals got it has been debated several times.

A turtle shell was originally believed to be the extension of the animal’s spine and ribs, but it has been discovered to be part of its skeleton as well.

Since the shell is an important part of a turtle’s basic survival, it is very likely that the animal could not survive a few minutes or even seconds without it.

The shell contains nerve endings and bones needed for survival, which means the turtle can sense you touching its shell.

“Whoa I can’t believe I’ve never learned this before,” wrote one Twitter user.

However, another could not accept the information: “My whole life is a lie.”

“You really should talk to the people who make cartoons,” joked another person. “I was seriously misinformed in my youth…”