It was a large animal that was closely related to Paraceratherium, and found in rocks dating from the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene period.

The remains were first discovered in the Urtyn Obo region (now Dorbod Banner, Ulanqab) in Inner Mongolia, which the name Urtinotherium is based upon.

The holotype fossil (catalog number IVPP V.2769) includes a complete lower jaw 71.5 cm (28.1 in) in length, comparable to the smallest known of Paraceratherium.

[4] The remains of Urtinotherium are found mainly in the eastern and central Asia, consisting mostly of jaw fragments and isolated teeth.

[2] Urtinotherium likely survived into the Early Oligocene, as fossils probably from it have been found in the Mera Formation of Transylvania, Romania.

It is possibly descended from Juxia, which lived during the Middle Eocene in northern China, and which shares with it having a full set of teeth in its jaws.

In their specialization emphasizes that compared to Urtinotherium, they possessed significantly reduced dentition with only a couple of incisors in the lower jaw.