The shell in the new exhibit represents the largest specimen on record of the popular horse conch, Triplofusus giganteus, a member of the family Fasciolariidae. It measures 606 mm, or about 23.8 inches. The horse conch is the largest shelled mollusk found living in the Atlantic Ocean.

Its celebrity status is enhanced because it is also the official Florida State Shell. Horse conch shells were used by the Calusa people to manufacture tools, ornaments, agricultural implements, and utensils. The horse conch is a top predator, feeding on other gastropods such as lightning whelks, tulips, and fighting conchs. Horse conchs live in coastal areas of the southeastern USA, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea.

This world record shell was placed under permanent loan at the Shell Museum by Mark Johnson of North Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Johnson acquired the shell from Ed Hanley of Sanibel, who collected the specimen scuba-diving off Sanibel on a sandy bottom about 40 m (130 ft) in depth.