The Turbinellidae Family includes Vase Shells that are heavy and solid and very diverse in shape and sculpture. Most are medium to large in size. Generally, they are spindle or diamond shaped and may be knobbed, ridged, smooth, or spiny. Some have very long siphonal canals, some do not have canals. All have long apertures with an inner lip that is marked with three or more folds. They have thick, claw-like operculum and a large foot.

Vase Shells live on soft substrates, often on sand between rocks in the intertidal zone to depths up to 215 m (700 feet). They are found in tropical and temperate seas, worldwide. They are aggressive predators that feed on bivalves and worms that use their operculum and large foot to grab and envelope their prey. There are about ninety global species in the Turbinellidae Family of which only this one species is found in the coastal waters of the Baja.