[3][4][2][5] Physically similar to the several other species including the house mouse it differs in lacking the notched incisors and distinctive musty odour of M. domesticus.

[6][4] Furthermore it has smaller ears and hind feet than Bolam's mouse, and the tail is shorter and less heavily furred[4] allowing distinction between the two species.

The sandy inland mouse was first described by ham (1896) as Mus hermannsburgensis following the Horn scientific expedition in 1894 during which the natural history of central Australia was studied.

[10] Populations in central Australia are thought to be largely sedentary despite observations of individuals covering distances of up to 14 km in NSW and Queensland[11][4] Sandy inland mouse habitat is generally characterised by open vegetation, with a preference for friable soils such as sands and sandy loams on arid plains and dunes.

While grains, in particular spinifex seed and other plant materials make ups the bulk of the mouse's diet during autumn the proportion of invertebrates consumed has been observed to increase considerably, to as much as 60% of food intake.

The sandy inland mouse lacks the physical and behavioural adaptations of the granivorous North American heteromyid such as cheek pouches and seed-caching through scratch digging holes; in addition, it is thought their digestive anatomy makes them better suited to an omnivorous diet.

It has also been suggested that due to the extreme nature of the climate in the areas the species inhabits, dietary opportunism is the favoured mechanism for survival.

[4] Classified as an r-strategist, populations of sandy inland mouse are known to persist in low densities during extended periods of dry conditions in Australia's arid and semi-arid interior, and then erupt dramatically following significant rain.