This climbing rat has dense fur and a tail longer than its head and body. It is known from tropical forest on the lower Andean slopes of Colombia and Ecuador, including the northwestern Pacific lowlands.
Its fur is dense and thick. The tail is longer than the head and body, bare at the base, with black hairs emerging between the scales.
The subfamily account describes Tylomys climbing rats in cloud and evergreen tropical forests with tall trees, shrubs, and vines. Records are from the ground, shrubs, and trees; the rats move quickly through branches and vines.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.