Total length 26cm, weight 114-122gm. 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 succulents 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 animals.