These species have relatively long tails for a hamster, with brownish upperparts and a pure white underside.

The genus Urocricetus was originally described by the Russian zoologist Konstantin Satunin as a subgenus of Cricetus.

Urocricetus would be sometimes recognized as a subgenus of Cricetulus until 2018, when a phylogenetic study revealed this genus to be valid.

[2] As of 2024, two closely related species are recognized in this genus:[2] The species Cricetulus lama and Cricetulus tibetanus are recognized as valid by the IUCN[3][4] but considered a synonym of Urocricetus kamensis by the American Society of Mammalogists.

[5] Both of these possibly valid species live on the Tibetan Plateau,[3][4] while the other valid Cricetulus species occur further north and northeast of the Tibetan Plateau.