When choosing a awn rat, look at its appearance. Mushrooms are stout. The snout is short and blunt, the eyes are small, the ears are hidden in the hair, and the neck is short and thick. The limbs are thick and short, with strong claws. The forelimbs are nail-shaped in dorsal view and shovel-shaped in ventral view; hindlimbs have long tips and deep grooves on the ventral side.

In addition, it is necessary to observe the size of the mongoose. The body length of the awn rat is generally less than 38cm, the tail length is 6~7cm, and the weight is 500~800g.