Phillips' kangaroo rat is a small rodent of sandy ground and short grasslands on the Mexican Plateau. It emerges at night and carries food in its cheek pouches.
The back ranges from ochre and cinnamon to brown, with black hairs mixed in. Its long tail has dark stripes, and the tip is white in many individuals.
It is nocturnal and uses burrows. It eats seeds, leaves, and young plants, carrying food in external cheek pouches.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.