This burrowing rodent lives in dry areas of northern Chile and adjoining Argentina. The Chilean assessment records different habitats for named subspecies, including desert and oasis settings.
Its coat is sand-yellow, its short tail is two-toned, and it has large eyes and small ears. A flap of skin closes the nostrils while it digs.
It digs burrows in sandy, well-drained soil. The assessment records sparse grassland and dry slopes in northern Chile; the Pica oasis record belongs to a different subspecies.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.