The hair is generally thick and coarse and is longest on the flanks and rump. The top of the face is grayish to reddish brown, the chin and upper throat are whitish, and the back and sides are usually a uniform yellowish brown, finely stippled with black. The underparts are white. Both sexes lack antlers, but the upper canine teeth, especially in the males, are enlarged, forming fairly long, slightly curved tusks.
Females have four mammae.
Hydropotes lives among tall reeds and rushes along rivers and also frequents tall grass on mountains and cultivated fields. When disturbed, it humps its back and travels by a series of leaps, much as do Lepus and Sylvilagus. The diet includes reeds, coarse grasses, and vegetables. Hydropotes rarely congregates in herds. Females are said sometimes to give birth to up to eight young at a time, more than are produced by any other kind of deer.