[2] It is found in high grassland in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru where it lives in burrows.

The head is dark-coloured, the upper parts are light brown or yellowish-grey and the flanks and underparts are paler.

[3] The highland tuco-tuco lives on the eastern side of the Andes range in the southern half of South America.

It is found in dry puna grassland where it digs its burrows in loose gravelly and sandy soils in both pristine and disturbed habitats.

Most activity is in the morning with the animal expanding the tunnel to reach the roots and stems on which it feeds, and only emerging from the burrow briefly to gather nearby food before retreating again.