Lightning whelks can be found in the sandy or muddy substrate of shallow embayments.

This whelk species feeds primarily on marine bivalves, ingesting their soft parts using its proboscis.

This species shares many characteristics with another species, the knobbed whelk Busycon carica, but there are some important differences:[citation needed] For thousands of years Native Americans used these animals as food, and used their shells for tools, ornaments, containers and to make jewelry, i.e. shell gorgets.

[3] For example, the Indigenous peoples of Florida used their shells as hammers, axes, and cups; Floridan archaeologists have likened them to Swiss Army knives for their versatility.

[4] They may have believed the sinistral nature of the lightning whelk shell made it a sacred object.