Occurs in Strandveld, Succulent Karoo and Namib Desert. Prefers soft, shifting sands of dune crests but also present in inter-dune swales with quite dense vegetation as long as sand is not too consolidated. Areas containing scattered clumps of the dune grass (Aristida sabulicola), Ostrich Grass (Cladoraphis spinosa) and Long Bushman Grass (Stipagrostis ciliata), are the preferred habitats for this species. The young are thought to be born in tunnels constructed by this species, but it lacks a proper burrow system; resting sites are usually under vegetation. It is a nocturnal surface forager that specializes on termites, but also consumes other invertebrates and small vertebrates (legless lizards, web-footed geckos and sand-burrowing skinks). It is nocturnal during hot summer months, with greater diurnal activity observed during winter (Fielden et al. 1990a,b, 1992; Rathbun and Rathbun 2007). It has occasionally been recorded from arable land and rural gardens (e.g. E. g. granti type locality near Lamberts Bay).