Truly at home within fine, loosely-grained desert sand, this skink is known for resting while completely buried, keeping only its nostrils, and possibly part of its face, above ground for oxygen.

In addition to ambushing passing invertebrate prey (likewise with only its nose or face exposed), Scincus mitranus will readily "dive" into the sand at the first sign of danger, appearing to "swim" through the dunes as they hastily bury themselves deeper to hide.

Their naturally glossy, shiny and smooth scales—typical of the skink family, in general—enable quick digging and rapid movement within the fine, often very hot, substrate, with no external injury or irritation to their bodies.

[citation needed] S. mitranus is found in the southern, eastern and northern areas of the Arabian Peninsula (Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates), Western Iran (near Ahvaz) and potentially east into Pakistan,[1][2] though its actual presence in the country is disputed.

[4] In Saudi Arabia, it has been documented as far west as Riyadh and the deserts to the east of Al-Artawiyah and Umm Al Jamajm, north of the capital city.