The species prefers vegetated sandy plains and low dunes (Gardner 2013). A ground-dwelling and diurnal species, it is known to climb in low vegetation, which is considered unusual for the genus (Leviton et al. 1992, Gardner 2013). This behaviour may allow an extended activity duration on hot days by getting off the hot sand and getting access to prey (Gardner 2013). They dig burrows at the base of small shrubs.

Within UAE waters, this species has been observed far offshore at more extreme depths compared to other sea snake species (Egan 2007). It appears to prefer clear waters with a sandy or coral substrate (Gardner 2013). This is bottom-dwelling species (B. Buzás pers. comm. 2018).Globally, this species occurs in mangrove swamps and around coastal reefs (Minton 1966, Heatwole 1975). This species forages on sand and specializes in feeding on eels.

In the UAE, this species is found up to 6-7 km off the east coast, at depths of up to 55 m, where the bottom is sandy. The habitat requirements in the UAE require further research. In the Arabian Gulf, there have been significant declines in suitable habitats (seagrass, coral reefs etc), but specific utilisation of these habitats is uncertain.This species occurs in a wide range of tropical shallow-water habitats including gulfs, bays, and estuaries, over continental shelves and also over soft-sediments adjacent to coral reefs (Lukoschek et al. 2010). It is associated with many soft-sediment types including sand, muddy sand, and mud and sometimes ascends rivers, thus also occurs in freshwater habitats (Lukoschek et al. 2010). It is a generalist feeder and its diet includes many species of benthic, demersal and pelagic fish, as well as squid and other crustaceans (Glodek and Voris 1982, Fry et al. 2001, Lobo et al. 2005, Rezaie-Atagholipour 2012).

In the UAE, this species is found up to 6-7 km off the east coast, at depths of up to 50 m, where the bottom is sandy (Géczy et al. 2017, Buzás et al. 2018). The habitat requirements in the UAE require further research. In the Arabian Gulf, there have been significant declines in suitable habitats (seagrass, coral reefs etc), but specific utilisation of these habitats is uncertain. In the Arabian Gulf, strandings increase when the weather is colder, and with rough seas. The species is recorded all year round on the east coast (Buzás et al. 2018).Globally, this species can be found in shallow seas over muddy bottoms (Stuebing and Voris 1989). It feeds mostly on eels (Voris and Voris 1983, Das 2007), but also gobies and marine invertebrates (Das 2007).

In the UAE, the species is known from a very small number of records and nothing is known of its habitat use. It may not be resident in the UAE, and occurrence may be vagrant or the result of transport in fishing gear or ship ballast disposal.This species occurs (Rasmussen et al. 2010) in shallow open seas, river mouths, estuaries, coastal lagoons, and in mangrove forests (Limpus 1975, Lim and Sawai 1975, Murthy 1977, Murthy and Rama Rao 1988, Venkateswarlu et al. 1995). It is found from 3.7-22.2 m (Redfield et al. 1978). It occurs over soft substrates such as mud and sand (Limpus 1975). It is also found in freshwater lakes in Cambodia and India and can travel up rivers. It is common in near-shore shallow waters and estuaries, especially in the soft bottom marine environments where its preferred prey, catfish, occur in high abundances (Rasmussen et al. 2010). Animals are active during the night and day and prefers water depths from less than 5 m to a maximum of 30 m (Leviton et al. 2003).

In the UAE, the species has been found on sandy-bottoms.Little is known about the life history of this species. It has been reported to occur in relatively deeper water habitats (Smith 1926) down to 50 m (Rasmussen et al. 2010). Feeds on eels. Records suggest that this species attains very large sizes of up to 2.75 m (Smith 1943). However, most specimens collected rarely ever even reach 2 m (Rasmussen et al. 2010). The largest specimen recorded in the UAE was a 186 cm long gravid female found stranded in Ras Al-Khaimah in 2014 January (Buzás et al. 2018). Based on post mortem data of the same specimen, the clutch size is up to 15 (B. Buzás and Cs. Géczy pers. comm. 2018).

The species is found on gravelly plains and in dry wadis with sparse vegetation. It may be associated with relatively hard substrates and small bushes. It generally avoids areas of soft sand and mountain areas. It is a diurnal and ground-dwelling species which preys on invertebrates. It is an oviparous species that lays a clutch of four eggs. The breeding season is unknown for the species.

This is a diurnal skink that lives in vegetation and its diet may include insects (Gardner 2013). On Jernain Island, the species was found living amongst irrigated ornamental plants near the shoreline, and at Al Qua'a they are around a small building in the fodder fields (Gardner 2013). There is limited information on its life history.

The utilisation of UAE waters by this species is uncertain but is likely to be for passage only, and no nesting beaches are known in the UAE. Juveniles are believed to occur in similar habitats as the adults (i.e,. pelagic waters) where they forage on gelatinous prey such as jellyfish, salps and tunicates (Kopitsky et al. 2004, Abreu-Grobois and Plotkin 2008). Satellite telemetry studies on Olive Ridley nesting turtles have been undertaken at the south of Masirah Island. Tagging results indicated that six turtles tracked spent most of their time to the west of Masirah foraging at depths of less than 100 m (Rees et al. 2012).Females lay their nests on coastal sandy beaches from which neonates emerge and enter the marine environment to continue their development. They remain in a pelagic phase, drifting passively with major currents that disperse far from their natal sites, with juveniles sharing some of the adults' habitats (Kopitsky et al. 2000) until sexual maturity is reached. Reproductively active males and females migrate toward coastal zones and concentrate near nesting beaches. However, some males appear to remain in oceanic waters and mate with females en route to their nesting beaches (Plotkin et al. 1996, Kopitsky et al. 2000). Their post-breeding migrations are complex, with pathways varying annually (Plotkin 1994) and with no apparent migratory corridors, swimming hundreds or thousands of kilometres, commonly within the 20'°C isotherms.This species displays a unique breeding strategy with females nesting synchronously in large numbers that include hundreds to thousands of females over a period of days in few and specific areas around the world; a phenomenon known as Arribada (word for arrival in Spanish). However, the most common breeding strategy is the solitary or disperse (non-arribada) nesting with no apparent synchronicity and of three or four orders of magnitude lower than arribada nesting populations (Bernardo and Plotkin 2007). At some localities, a mixture of these two forms of nesting can also occur.

In UAE territorial waters, the occurrence of this species is sporadic, and habitat use is not known; presumed to use epipelagic open water (0-200 m).At the global scale, this is an oceanic, deep-diving marine turtle that inhabits tropical, subtropical, and subpolar seas (Wallace et al. 2013). The species makes extensive migrations between feeding areas at different seasons, and to and from nesting areas. Leatherbacks feed predominantly on jellyfishes, salps and siphonophores. Females usually produce several (3-10) clutches of 60-90 eggs in a reproductive season, and typically have a re-migration interval of multiple years (2+) between subsequent reproductive seasons.