Adult: dark greyish-brown, 15-23cms with 13-18cms long tail, rounded head, short broad muzzle. Looks very much like its larger cousin, the Bandicoot Rat, but is smaller, with a relatively longer tail.

Female can have up to 10 litters. Young (10-12 per litter) are born blind and naked. Young reach sexual maturity around 60 days after birth. Life span of adults is about 8-9 months.

Commonly lives in cultivated plains and gardens and is one of the most destructive pests to crops and cultivation. It digs burrows with characteristic pile of earth around the entrance, hence its name. The burrow system is extensive and elaborate, consisting of numerous chambers (sleeping, storing etc), galleries and exits or 'bolt-holes', which are covered with loose earth, facilitating an easy escape during emergencies. The storage chambers are stocked with large amounts of grain, specially during harvest time. Usually one mole-rat is found in one burrow, except when there is a mother with young. It has a habit of erecting its long guard hairs scattered over the back and emitting harsh grunts when disturbed. It is a carrier of and spreads diseases such as plague, murine typhus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and rat bite fever.