It dens mainly in old termite mounds but also in such places as erosion gullies, abandoned aardvark holes, and hollow logs. Dens are communal and consist of one to nine entrance holes, a central sleeping chamber of about 1-2 cubic meters, and perhaps several smaller chambers. Most dens are used only for a few days, but some favorite sites may be occupied for as long as 2 months. M. mungos is terrestrial and diurnal and has excellent senses of vision, hearing, and smell. A group generally emerges from the den around 0700-0800 hours, forages for several hours, rests in a shady spot during the hottest part of the day, forages again, and returns to a den before sunset.
More time is spent in the vicinity of the den if young are present therein.
A group generally covers 2-3 km per day, moving in a zigzag pattern and searching among rocks and vegetation for food. The diet consists largely of invertebrates, especially beetles and millipedes, and also includes small vertebrates. To break an egg and obtain the contents, M. mungos grasps the item with its forefeet and propels it backward between its hind feet and against a hard object. In the Serengeti, home range may be over 400 ha. Ranges overlap, but intergroup encounters are generally noisy and hostile and sometimes involve chasing and fighting.