Hoplosternum littorale is typically found in a variety of freshwater habitats, including slow-moving rivers, canals, streams, and pools. This species is a facultative air breather, an adaptation that allows it to colonize and survive in habitats with low dissolved oxygen, such as the seasonal wetlands of the Florida peninsula. This species is a benthic scavenger, primarily consuming benthic microcrustaceans, aquatic insect larvae, detritus, and plant matter.