The underparts are a cinnamon-buff colour and the tail is brownish black, ending in a pale tuft of hairs.

There are two separate populations; the nominate subspecies C. f. robustus occurs in the Antofagasta Region of Chile and adjoining parts of northwestern Argentina; the other subspecies C. f. fulvus occurs only in the Oasis de Pica in the Tarapacá Region of northern Chile.

This tuco-tuco typically lives in flat areas of desert with sandy soils, creosote bushes (Larrea sp.

It also inhabits ribbons of trees growing alongside dry watercourses and creeks.

The animals derive most of their water requirements from their food, and the stable temperature in their burrows protects them from the lethal effects of overheating.