> Would the shell of an armadillo and the shell of a turtle be considered as analogous structures?

Would the shell of an armadillo and the shell of a turtle be considered as analogous structures?

Posted at: 2014-11-15 
Yes it would. A homologous structure is one that is the same one inherited from a common ancestor. For example, the legs , the tail, the eyes, and the ribs of an armadillo are homologous with the same structures in the turtle, because the last common ancestor of turtles and armadillos had legs, a tail, eyes, and ribs. This same ancestor, which was a primitive reptile, did not have a shell. Instead the shell evolved independently in the armadillo and in the turtle. The evidence for that is that the shell of the turtle is formed by its ribs. The shell of the armadillo, OTOH, is not formed by the rib, but is part of its skin.

Since the armadillo's shell and the turtle shell evolved independently, they are considered analogous structures even if they superficially resemble one another. In contrast, the human hand and the bird hand are considered homologous since, again, they are the same structure and are inherited from the same common ancestor.

Not really, armadillo shells are articulated.