[4] The shell of Haliotis asinina has a distinctly elongated contour, in clear resemblance to a donkey ear, hence the common name.

Its outer surface is smooth and almost totally covered by the mantle in life, making encrustations of other animals (such as barnacles) quite uncommon in comparison to other abalone.

[4] This abalone dwells in shallow water coral reef areas of the intertidal and sublittoral zones, commonly reaching a depth around 10 m (33 ft).

These structures allow the veliger larva to completely retract into a protective environment and rapidly fall out of the water column.

[5] The next phase of biomineralisation does not commence until the competent veliger larva contacts an environmental cue that induces metamorphosis.

[5] The juvenile Haliotis asinina teloconch rapidly develops a uniform maroon colouration several weeks after metamorphosis, similar to the crustose coralline algae (CCA) that the larva has settled upon.

This shell pattern may enhance the juvenile's ability to camouflage on the heterogeneous background of the CCA they inhabit at this stage of development.

At 10 to 15 mm (13⁄32 to 19⁄32 in), this ornate colouration pattern begins to fade, with maroon and cream fields apparently blending to give a brown background.

[5] With further growth, the ridge-valley structure fades to give rise to a smooth adult shell, with irregular brown-green triangles on a light brown background.