THE CONCH SHELLS - FAMILY STROMBIDAE. Shell heavy, porcellanous, with conical spire; aperture elongated, channeled at both ends; outer lip generally thickened and dilated; curved sinus for the head near basal canal; oper culum claw-like, horny, notched on edge; foot narrow in front, arched and broad behind; head with contractile snout, highly developed eyes' tentacles rising from stout eye-stalks; radula well developed; siphon short.
Active, intelligent mollusks, chiefly carrion-feeders, found on reefs in tropical seas. Shells used in manufacture of porcelain and lime, in cameo-cutting and for ornament. Animal sometimes eaten.