Heermann's kangaroo rat hops on long hind legs and carries seeds in cheek pouches to its burrow. It is active alone at night.
Its back ranges from tawny brown to buff. It has long hind legs and a tuft at the end of its tail. A white thigh stripe varies by subspecies.
It is nocturnal and solitary, spending much of its time in a nest burrow. It eats grasses and seeds, carries seeds to the burrow in its cheek pouches, and also eats insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.