A high-elevation rodent of California's Sierra Nevada. It occurs in meadows and open conifer forest, feeding on roots underground and herbaceous plants above ground.
Its upperparts are dark brown and the underside somewhat paler. The ears are pointed, and the outer face of the upper incisors lacks grooves.
Above about 1,520 m, it uses meadows and open conifer forests. It eats roots, tubers, and bulbs underground and stems and leaves of grasses and forbs above ground; it remains active through winter.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.