Turbo sazae can be found in relatively shallow coastal waters (up to 30 meters deep). It can be found around the Japanese islands from Honshu to Kyushu and Okinawa. It feeds on various kinds of algae. Young horned turban shells eat red-turf algae, while adults eat larger seaweed.
Turbo sazae spawns from August to September, although the gonads begin to mature from May. Larvae have a very short period as free-floating plankton at approximately five days, after which they settle and begin to develop a shell. The planktonic and early shell-growing stages are highly dangerous times for young horned turban shells, and they are eaten in large numbers. Its name comes from it being known as the delicacy “sazae” in Japan. Endemic.
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