The head is short, broad, and flattened. The eyes are small, and the short ears are almost hidden in the fur. This aquatic mammal has fringed forefeet and webbed toes. The powerful tail is thick and almost square in the proximal half and laterally compressed in the distal half. Presumably both the hind feet and the tail are used in swimming, but the tail is probably the main organ of propulsion.
Females have six mammae.
This tenrec inhabits the banks of streams and the shores of marshes and lakes, at altitudes of 600-2,000 meters. It constructs burrows at the water's edge. Apparently it is completely carnivorous, foraging in the water for small frogs and fish, freshwater shrimp, crayfish, and aquatic insect larvae. Its habitat is frequently associated with the aquatic lace plant, Aponogeton, the bases of which harbor abundant aquatic invertebrates. The web-footed tenrec is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN .