Buzz
Are wallabies just smaller versions of kangaroos? Not quite. While both are part of the same family and share some similarities, these Australian animals differ in several ways.
Max Height | Habitat | Diet | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wallabies | 3 feet | Swamps, forests, deserts, rocky cliffs | Leaves |
Kangaroos | 6 feet | Grasslands | Grasses |
Are Wallabies the Same as Kangaroos?
Although both kangaroos and wallabies belong to the Macropodidae family, they don't always belong to the same genus, meaning wallabies aren't merely miniature kangaroos.
The word 'Macropod' comes from Latin, meaning 'big foot,' which refers to the large feet of these animals that allow them to perform their famous leaps. Red kangaroos, the largest marsupials on Earth, can jump as far as 43 feet in a single leap—about the length of three cars. They are also capable of crawling and swimming. Both kangaroos and wallabies possess powerful hind limbs, significantly longer than their forelimbs, and muscular tails that help them maintain balance.
A joey of the Western gray kangaroo in its mother's pouch. | Lea Scaddan/Moment/Getty ImagesKangaroos and wallabies are marsupials, giving birth to tiny, undeveloped offspring called joeys, each about the size of a single AirPod. After birth, the joeys crawl into their mother's belly pouch (also known as the marsupium) where they continue developing. In both kangaroos and wallabies, the pouch opens forward, allowing the joey to face the same direction as the mother.
Both kangaroos and wallabies are herbivores that feed on plants, but their teeth are adapted differently. Wallabies have flat teeth to grind leaves, while kangaroos have curved teeth designed for cutting through the grasses they consume.
Wallaby vs. Kangaroo: Size Comparison
Kangaroos are the largest of the macropods, growing up to 6 feet tall. Their legs appear even longer due to the distance between their knees and ankles being greater than in wallabies. In contrast, wallabies typically don’t exceed 3 feet in height (6 feet including their tail) and can be much smaller. The Parma wallaby, for instance, is only about 52.8 centimeters (21 inches) tall—roughly the size of an average house cat.
The smaller size of wallabies offers them distinct advantages. They can inhabit a wide range of environments, such as scrublands, swamps, forests, deserts, and rocky areas, while their larger counterparts typically prefer vast open grasslands. For example, brush-tailed rock wallabies are adept at climbing cliffs and finding shelter in rocky crevices to avoid predators.
Three wallabies on high alert. | Tobias Titz/fStop/Getty ImagesThis specialization has led to a greater number of wallaby species compared to kangaroos. There are around 30 species of wallabies, while only six species of kangaroos exist. Three of these kangaroo species are actually 'wallaroos'—macropods that fall between wallabies and kangaroos in size.
Wallabies typically have thicker coats with more diverse colors and patterns compared to kangaroos. For instance, yellow-footed rock wallabies have tails resembling those of ring-tailed lemurs, with striking black and white markings on their faces and bodies. In contrast, kangaroos usually have more uniform coats in shades of brown or gray, though the male red kangaroo stands out with a deep rust-colored coat and white undersides.
Wallabies vs. Kangaroos: Lifespan Comparison
A significant disadvantage of wallabies' smaller size is that they face more predators than their larger kangaroo relatives. Dingoes, Tasmanian devils, foxes, cats, dogs, and even wedge-tailed eagles target these smaller macropods. Only dingoes, however, possess the strength to take down a kangaroo. As a result, wallabies tend to have shorter lifespans in the wild—around nine years—compared to the 23 years of kangaroos.
