It is different from its closest relative, the Luzon hairy-tailed rat (Batomys granti), in its cytochrome b sequence, moderate body size, colour patterns, and skull structure.

The specific name uragon is a Bicol word, the language of the local people, the Bicolanos in Luzon.

Having no direct English rendering, the word is loosely translated as "possessing great ability, vitality, or power".

[1] The first specimen (now the holotype) of B. uragon was collected by Eric A. Rickart, Curator of Vertebrates at the Natural History Museum of Utah, on 25 April 1988.

He found it while in the faunal expedition at Mount Isarog, about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the Naga City in Camarines Sur Province.

[2] Of the species of Batomys known to live on Mount Isarog, the large-toothed hairy-tailed rat (B. dentatus) is distinct.

One male specimen has a small pale brown patch of fur on the left side of the lower abdomen.

They live in old-growth montane and mossy forest, where there are thick leaf litters and humus layers.