Exoskeleton

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-010378",
  "term": "Exoskeleton",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Hard outer shell that provides an invertebrate with support and protection. Blue crabs and other crustaceans have exoskeletons.\n\n2. An external skeleton or supportive covering of an animal formed from the ectoderm, as for example, the shell coverings of a crustacean, the calcium carbonate secretions of stony corals, or the bony plates of an armadillo.",
  "subject": "Ecosystems",
  "references": [
    "Chesapeake Bay Glossary",
    "NOAA Coral Reef Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/exoskeleton/"
}