The Triton shell's common name is"Triton's trumpet," derived from the Greek god, Triton, who was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. The god Triton is often portrayed blowing a large seashell horn similar to this species; such trumpets are also still occasionally made in modern times.

This shell is believed to have an age range: from 94.3 to 0.012 million years ago. Fossils are found in the marine strata throughout the world.  Triton shells usually are whiteish in color with brown or yellow markings.

The shell of the giant triton lives in the Indo-Pacific zone and can grow to over half a metre (20 inches) in length.

One slightly smaller (shell size 100–385 millimetres (3.9–15.2 in) but still very large species lives in the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to Brazil.  Tritons generally inhabit temperate and tropical waters worldwide.