[1] They are large snails that can grow up to 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) in length and are easily recognizable by their cone-shaped shell.

They are known locally as bagongon or bagungon in the Philippines;[5] and rodong or berongan in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

[7] The operculum is rigiclaudent, meaning that the last growth increment always lies tangentially against the labial lip of the previous whorl.

It uses this to collect nutrient rich organic matter where it then passes down the oesophagus and then the stomach.

The main part of the stomach has a sac off to the side that contains a rod of concentrated digestive enzymes that break down the algae and other organic matter that pass through it.

It does this through a series of muscle contraction waves that extend along the lower surface of the foot propelling the mollusc forward.

[3][4] and on mud-flats only just covered at high tide, occasionally wandering even beyond tide-mark range.

[6] Prior to becoming fully grown adults, they first develop from larvae to juvenile veligers.

Mangrove forest floors is where Telescopium telescopium predominately acquire their nutrients to function, where they feed on the rich decomposed organic matter that is left behind during the ebb tide phase of tidal movements and surface algae.

[3][4] They also only scavenge for food when covered completely or partially with just their shell tips exposed as a means of protection against heat, desiccation, and predators.

Components of the molluscs' soft tissue and their shells accumulate amounts of trace metals when exposed to them over their lifetime.

It was used to detect levels of Nitrogen and Carbon stable isotopes present in the cities sewage.

The readings of the heavy metals in the Telescopium telescopium's tissue and shell corresponded to the recordings taken of the sediment, leading to the Veller Estuary region of south east India developing new ways to reduce pollution.

[6] They were often known as "poor man's tucker" to the people living around the coastal regions of the Northern Territory due to broad range of shellfish available to them that were considered more of a delicacy.

[25] Although only in-vitro tests have been conducted, the Ammonium Sulfate protein SF-50 has shown to have a agglutinating and spermicidal effect on microbes and sperm cells in humans, leading to the potential for the substance to be used as an anti-microbe rub or spermicide in the future.