Abalone (ăb′a-lō'nē), a shelled sea fish of the Haliotidae species, popularly known as ear-shells or sea-ears, found on the rocks of the California coast feeding on seaweed. The shell is a flattened spiral, with a lining of bright mother-of-pearl, used considerably in the arts; while the animal itself is used as food by Orientals on the coast, and, gathered and dried, is exported in quantities both to Japan and to China.