Altitypotherium had a tall and narrow snout, with only six pairs of teeth in the maxilla and mandible, a low number when compared to most other notoungulates.

The largest species, Altitypotherium paucidens was distinguished from its closest relatives by the loss of the upper third molar.

The genus Altitypotherium was first described in 2004, based on fossil remains found in the Chucal Formation in Northern Chile, in Early Miocene terrains ; two species are currently known, A. chucalensis and A. paucidens.

Altitypotherium belonged to the family Mesotheriidae, a group of typotheres that diversified during the Cenozoic, giving rise to forms the size of a ram.

It fed on low vegetation, roots and tubers, which it grinded with its powerful posterior teeths.