There is a white spot behind each ear.
Some forms have pinkish buff along the sides and on the rump.
The ears are short and buffy white, but the extreme edges are brown. Pachyuromys is stockily built. It has well-developed claws on the fingers and slightly grooved upper incisors. As in the case of many desert mammals, the auditory bullae and mastoids are so inflated that they extend beyond the foramen magnum. The common name of this genus is derived from the peculiar shape of the tail, which is short, noticeably thickened, and club-shaped.