The parasitic organism Toxoplasma gondii was first described in 1908 in Tunis by Charles Nicolle and Louis Manceaux within the tissues of the gundi.

It resembles a guinea pig in appearance, having big eyes, flat ears and short limbs.

[3] This gundi is found in northern Africa on the south side of the Atlas Mountains at altitudes up to about 2,900 m (9,500 ft).

[3] It forages for leaves, stems, flowers and seeds over large distances because of the scarcity of suitable plants.

It does not drink, obtaining sufficient water from its diet, nor does it store food as do some desert rodents.

These protozoan parasites are causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin disease transmitted by female sandflies, and it is thought that the gundi may act as a natural reservoir for the pathogen.

Its abundance varies according to the amount of precipitation that falls; in the west of its range it is replaced by Val's gundi (Ctenodactylus vali) in dry years.