What is the difference between kangaroos and wallabies?

Apart from size – kangaroos are bigger – the main difference between kangaroos and wallabies is their fur. Wallabies have more colourful coats than kangaroos.

The untrained eye could be forgiven for thinking that the only difference between kangaroos and wallabies is that wallabies are smaller. That’s not unreasonable, but many a tourist in Australia thinks they’ve seen a small kangaroo when they’ve actually seen a wallaby.

Size is indeed the most obvious difference between kangaroos and wallabies, but there’s more to it than that. It doesn’t help, of course, that there are several different species of kangaroo and several different species of wallaby.

Kangaroo vs wallaby size

Let’s start with size, though. Kangaroos can grow to about two metres tall, and the largest wallabies struggle to top a metre. But the key difference is in where that extra height is. Kangaroos are much lankier, with considerably more height between ankle and knee – they can travel at speeds of up to 55km/h. Wallabies, on the other hand, are relatively stumpy things.

This is an evolutionary thing, based on where the creatures tend to live. Kangaroo legs are built for bounding fast across open space. Wallaby legs are built for agility and nimbleness on rocks and in forests.

There are also diet-based difference in teeth. Kangaroos have bigger, more prominent cutting teeth, while wallabies have more pronounced flat teeth for chewing.

The third key difference is in the fur. Kangaroos tend to have a fairly dull, monotone coat, whereas wallabies are much more showy. A wallaby coat will often have three or more distinct colour patches. Many have reddish collars and distinctive stripes, too.