The members of the True Conch or Strombidae Family are gastropod mollusks, that is a relatively small, but extremely diverse family. The shells are medium to very large in size with a large body whorl, but some are very small; they display a tremendous variety in shape, sculpting, and color patterns. Most of the shells are solid and heavy, but others are fine and delicate. All True Conch have an arched foot with a small, sickle-shaped, operculum. Conchs use this foot and operculum combination to leap away from predators, instead of crawling as do most gastropods. They can also use their foot to kick away predators and to bury themselves in sand. Another feature shared by all True Conch is a notch at the anterior end of the shell that allows them to extend a protected eyestalk. Conchs are thought to have the most acute eyesight of all mollusks. Many adult species have a shell with a very flared, thickened, outer lip and in some cases the lip is larger than the body whorl.

True Conchs are often found in shallow water over and within sand substrate or within seagrass beds. They are found primarily in tropical seas, but they do range into the subtropics. True Conchs feed on algae and detritus. In turn they are preyed upon by crabs, fish, sea stars and predatory mollusks. Because of the great variety within the Strombidae Family, sources differ in the number of species in the Family. Most sources place the number of Family members between sixty and one hundred of which four species are found in the coastal waters of Baja.