The desert kangaroo rat digs burrows among the dunes of arid southwestern North America and is mainly active at night.
It has fur-lined cheek pouches for carrying food and long hair on its feet. The back is pale brown to gray, while the underside is white.
It makes burrows among dunes and stores mesquite pods and other plant seeds underground. It may also come out by day to maintain its burrow.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.