All rights reserved. This document may be used, with this header included, for noncommercial purposes within a subscribed institution . No copies of this work may be distributed electronically outside of the subscribed institution, in whole or in part, without written permission from the JHU Press . The pelage is short and dense. The upper parts are pale sandy, reddish, or grayish, and the underparts are usually paler.
Some individuals have a white frontal spot and white spots on the belly.
The incisors are prominent, and folds of the lips extend downward and prevent the entrance of soil into the mouth during digging. It constructs burrows consisting of a single main tunnel about 47 meters long, 15-25 cm deep, and 5 cm wide and numerous side branches. Mounds of excavated soil mark the course of the main tunnel. The nest is located in a small circular chamber 8-10 cm in diameter and 30 cm below the ground. The nest chamber is not used for food storage or defecation.