This species can only be differentiated from other Fukomys species on chromosomal and molecular grounds and is closely related to F. kafuensis and F. micklemi with only 1.4% divergence on the cytochrome b gene between these three species (Ingram et al. 2004, Van Daele et al. 2007)

This species is listed as Least Concern because it has an extent of occurrence of 35,260 km² and there is no evidence of severe fragmentation or extensive habitat loss. There is currently insufficient evidence on the threats this species is facing and currently populations are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category under criteria A or B.

This species is endemic to the Zambezian region of Africa, where it has been recorded from east and north of the Kafue River in Zambia, in a 100 km radius around the city of Lusaka. It has also been recorded on the northern fringes of Southern province, just south of the Kafue River.

While this species is known to be abundant in the Lusaka and central provinces, there have been no systematic population surveys to date. Although relatively abundant within parts of its range, there is reason to believe the population is declining because of overharvesting. In one study, an area of 0.6km² of natural open canopy Miombo woodland contained around 23 families (Sklíba et al. 2012).

This is a species of savanna bushland (moist miombo woodland), where mean annual rainfall is approximately 820 mm. It has been recorded in modified habitats such as rural gardens and golf-courses (Burda et al. 1999as well as in agricultural fields, grassland and dambos (shallow wetlands) (Sichilima et al. 2011). It is a herbivorous species, which sometimes feeds on crops (Sichilima et al. 2011). It is a social, subterranean species that generally lives in colonies of up to 13 individuals (Sklíba et al. 2012). The species is a seasonal breeder, with multigenerational family groups living in very large and complex burrow systems consisting of 0.5–2.8km of tunnels, which are densely branched (Sklíba et al. 2012). Group’s exhibit pronounced sociopositive behaviours like grooming and huddling between all family members (Burda 1995). Like several species within the family Bathyergidae they have an extraordinarily long life span, with records of an individual living to 22 years, despite this longevity, typically only the founder pair will reproduce (Schielke et al. 2017) with most of the offspring foregoing reproduction and remaining in the natal family. Incestuous mating usually does not occur, however, adult non-breeders readily mate with unrelated conspecifics if given a possibility (Bappert et al. 2012). Breeding individuals have been shown to live up to twice as long as their non-breeding counterparts (Dammann and Burda. 2006) long-lived breeders of F. anselli have higher metabolic rates compared to shorter-lived non-breeders a feature which is unique amongst mammals (Schielke et al. 2017).  As with most species of mole rat, F. anselli is thought to have a relatively long gestational period of about 3 months, and are thought to reach sexual maturity at about 1 year of age (Burda 1989).

Threats are largely undefined, however as with all mole-rats in Zambia, heavy overharvesting for human consumption is potentially a major threat to this species. The species is considered to be an agricultural and horticultural pest.

It has been recorded in the Lusaka East Forest Reserve, Zambia (Sklíba et al. 2012).