Its coat is short and shaggy and its colour varies from greyish to brown, with black or white streaks on the back. It can measure up to 40 cm, of which just under half is its tail, and its average weight is 350 g.
Omnivorous: it prefers starchy and protein-rich foods such as cereals, including rice, but also eats meat, fish and bones, especially in urban environments. In agricultural environments it feeds on tubers, earthworms, herbaceous plants, in marine and river environments it feeds on crustaceans and molluscs.