It is the sole member of its genus and strictly endemic to the fynbos, the unique shrubland of south-western South Africa, occurring nowhere else in the world. It lives in temperate forests and Mediterranean shrubland along a relatively narrow coastal strip between the Olifants River and the Plettenberg Bay area, and is one of the few rodent species restricted to this distinctive biome.
A medium-sized rodent with greyish-brown fur and whitish feet, which give rise to one of its English common names. It differs from other rodents in the region by its distribution, which is strictly limited to the fynbos of south-western South Africa.
Small track with five toes. It digs shallow burrows or uses shelters beneath dense fynbos vegetation.
Temperate forest and Mediterranean scrub (fynbos), in a coastal strip of south-western South Africa, from the Olifants River to Plettenberg Bay.
Seeds, fruit and insects.
Nocturnal and terrestrial; there is no published information on its social organisation or home range.
The species maintains a stable population within its distribution restricted to the fynbos, with no evidence of widespread decline.
No widespread threats identified.
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