A burrowing rodent ranging from Canada through the central United States to northeastern Mexico. It digs tunnels in deep, soft soils of grasslands and similar habitats.
Its short coat ranges from pale brown to black and is paler underneath. The foreclaws are large, and the tail is sparsely haired.
It usually lives alone in underground tunnels and eats roots and tubers. The Texas account also describes use of shallow burrows in summer.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.