This arboreal rodent has stiff spines on its back and a long tail ending in a tuft. It is reported throughout the Amazon Basin and was commonly captured in mature forest in a Peruvian study.
Its dorsal fur is heavily spinose. The sparsely furred tail is longer than the head-and-body length and ends in a distinct pencil of hair. Short, broad feet have plantar pads and curved claws.
It is arboreal. In the Peruvian study it was usually captured in mature forest; the authors suggest that disturbed areas may lack suitable trees.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.