Total length 26cm - weight 114-122g. Fairly plump rodent with a short tail. Dark grey with buffy tinging and paler underparts. Associated with wet habitats but can be found away from water. Feeds on succulent parts of grasses and restios - seeds and bark. Mainly diurnal and uses well-defined feeding runs. It makes a saucer-shaped nest of grass on dry ground. A prolific breeder and a favourite food of predatory birds and mammals.