It has light yellow to dark brown fur on top, with a white underneath. The long tail has a wide white stripe, and a tufted end. These bipedal mammals hop on 4-toed hind feet, using their tails for balance. Seeds are collected during seed production months in the spring and fall and transported to underground caches via cheek pouches. Their hind legs and four-toed hind feet are much longer than their forelegs.
Males are significantly larger than females.
A skin gland located on the back secretes excess oil, which may allow Banner tails to swim better, stay drier, and float higher than other small rodents . It lives on clay soils supporting sparse, short grasses and small, scattered mesquite bushes. The rare and endangered Giant Kangaroo Rat now occurs only in California's Carrizo Plain. Unlike many other Kangaroo Rats, D. ingens possesses 5 toes on each hind foot, a white stripe running across its hindquarters, and a white belly. It also has a distinctive tail that is dark colored on the top and bottom with white lines on both sides.