Macropodidae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

marsupial Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...

s that includes

kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...

tree-kangaroo Tree-kangaroos are marsupials of the genus ''Dendrolagus'', adapted for arboreal locomotion. They inhabit the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and far northeastern Queensland, Australia along with some of the islands in the region. All tree- ...

wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies, that are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'' wi ...

pademelon Pademelons () are small marsupials in the genus ''Thylogale'', found in Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. They are some of the smallest members of the macropod family, which includes the similar-looking but larger kangaroos and ...

quokka The quokka (; ''Setonix brachyurus'') is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. It is the only member of the genus ''Setonix''. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as kangaroos and wallabies), the quokka is herbiv ...

s, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder

Macropodiformes The Macropodiformes , also known as macropods, are one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. They may in fact be nested within one of the suborders, Phalangeriformes. Kangaroos, wallabies and allies, bettongs, p ...

, containing other macropods, and are native to the

Australian continent The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts as Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near t ...

(the mainland and Tasmania),

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and nearby islands.

Description

Although omnivorous kangaroos lived in the past, these were not members of the family Macropodidae; modern macropods are generally

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

. Some are

browsers Browse, browser, or browsing may refer to: Computing *Browser service, a feature of Microsoft Windows to browse shared network resources *Code browser, a program for navigating source code *File browser or file manager, a program used to manage f ...

, but most are grazers and are equipped with appropriately specialised teeth for cropping and grinding up fibrous plants, in particular

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es and

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

s. Modern omnivorous kangaroos generally belong to a different family (for example, the

Musky rat-kangaroo The musky rat-kangaroo (''Hypsiprymnodon moschatus'') is a small marsupial found only in the rainforests of northeastern Australia. First described in the later 19th century, the only other species are known from fossil specimens. They are simil ...

). In general, macropods have a broad, straight row of cutting teeth at the front of the mouth, no

canine Canine may refer to: Zoology and anatomy * Animals of the family Canidae, more specifically the subfamily Caninae, which includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals and coyotes ** ''Canis'', a genus that includes dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals ** Do ...

teeth, and a gap before the molars. The molars are large and, unusually, do not appear all at once but a pair at a time at the back of the mouth as the animal ages, eventually becoming worn down by the tough, abrasive grasses and falling out. Like many

, early kangaroos had

plagiaulacoid A plagiaulacoid is a type of blade-like, most often serrated, tooth present in various mammal groups, usually a premolar. Among modern species it is present chiefly on diprotodontian marsupials (specifically, Potoroidae, ''Bettongia'' and '' Burramy ...

s, but these converted into normal molars in more derived species. Most species have four molars and, when the last pair is too worn to be of use, the animals starve to death. The

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology ...

for macropods is . Like the

eutheria Eutheria (from Greek , 'good, right' and , 'beast'; ), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of Placentalia, placental mammals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials. Eutherians ...

ruminant Ruminants are herbivorous grazing or browsing artiodactyls belonging to the suborder Ruminantia that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microb ...

s of the Northern Hemisphere (sheep, cattle, and so on), macropods have specialised digestive systems that use a high concentration of

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

, protozoans, and fungi in the first chamber of a complex stomach to digest plant material. The details of organisation are quite different, but the result is somewhat similar. The particular structure-function relationship of the Macropodidae gut and the gut

microbiota Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found ...

allows the degradation of

lignocellulosic Lignocellulose refers to plant dry matter (biomass), so called lignocellulosic biomass. It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels. It is composed of two kinds of carbohydrate polymers, cellulose ...

material with a relatively low emission of

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...

relative to other ruminants. These low emissions are partly explained by the anatomical differences between the macropodid digestive system and that of ruminants, resulting in shorter retention times of particulate digesta within the foregut. This fact might prevent the establishment of methanogenic

archaea Archaea ( ) is a Domain (biology), domain of organisms. Traditionally, Archaea only included its Prokaryote, prokaryotic members, but this has since been found to be paraphyletic, as eukaryotes are known to have evolved from archaea. Even thou ...

, which has been found in low levels in tammar wallabies (''Notamacropus eugenii'') and eastern grey kangaroo (''M. giganteus''). Metagenomic analysis revealed that the foregut of tammar wallabies mainly contains bacteria belonging to the phyla

Bacillota The Bacillota (synonym Firmicutes) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have Gram-positive cell wall structure. They have round cells, called cocci (singular coccus), or rod-like forms (bacillus). A few Bacillota, such as '' Megasphaera'', ...

Bacteroidota The phylum (biology), phylum Bacteroidota (synonym Bacteroidetes) is composed of three large classes of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, nonsporeforming, anaerobic or aerobic, and rod-shaped bacteria that are widely distributed in the envir ...

, and

Pseudomonadota Pseudomonadota (synonym "Proteobacteria") is a major phylum of gram-negative bacteria. Currently, they are considered the predominant phylum within the domain of bacteria. They are naturally found as pathogenic and free-living (non- parasitic) ...

. Among Pseudomonadota populations of the

Succinivibrionaceae The Succinivibrionaceae are Gram-negative bacteria and belong to the Gammaproteobacteria. They are rod-shaped and obligate anaerobe Obligate anaerobes are microorganisms killed by normal Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric concentrations of oxyg ...

family are overrepresented and may contribute to low

methane emissions Increasing methane emissions are a major contributor to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, and are responsible for up to one-third of near-term global heating. During 2019, about 60% (360 million tons) of methane r ...

. Macropods vary in size considerably, but most have very large hind legs and long, powerfully muscled tails. The term ''macropod'' comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "large foot" and is appropriate: most have very long, narrow hind feet with a distinctive arrangement of toes. The fourth toe is very large and strong, the fifth toe moderately so; the second and third are fused; and the first toe is usually missing. Their short front legs have five separate digits. Some macropods have seven

carpal bones The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The terms "carpus" and "carpal" are derived from the Latin wikt:carpus#Latin, carpus and the Greek language, Greek wikt:καρπός ...

instead of the usual eight in mammals. All have relatively small heads and most have large ears, except for

s, which must move quickly between closely spaced branches. The

young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

are born very small and the pouch opens forward. The unusual development of the hind legs is optimised for economical long-distance travel at fairly high speed. The greatly elongated feet provide enormous leverage for the strong legs, but the famous kangaroo hop has more: kangaroos and wallabies have a unique ability to store elastic strain energy in their tendons. In consequence, most of the energy required for each hop is provided "free" by the spring action of the tendons (rather than by muscular effort). The main limitation on a macropod's ability to leap is not the strength of the muscles in the hindquarters, it is the ability of the joints and tendons to withstand the strain of hopping. Furthermore, the act of hopping in kangaroos and wallabies is associated with their breathing process. The movement of their feet off the ground helps to expel air from their lungs, while bringing their feet forward for landing replenishes their lungs with air, resulting in greater energy efficiency. Studies conducted on these animals have shown that hopping at faster speeds requires only a minimal increase in effort beyond the energy required to hop in general, which is significantly less than what would be required in other animals like horses, dogs, or humans. Additionally, it has been observed that carrying extra weight requires little additional energy, which is particularly important for female kangaroos and wallabies carrying heavy pouch young. The ability of larger macropods to survive on poor-quality, low-energy feed, and to travel long distances at high speed without great energy expenditure (to reach fresh food supplies or waterholes, and to escape predators) has been crucial to their evolutionary success on a continent that, because of poor soil fertility and low, unpredictable average rainfall, offers only very limited primary plant productivity. Most macropod species have a

polygynous Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); . Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...

mating system and produce a

mating plug A mating plug, also known as a copulation plug, vaginal plug, sperm plug, or sphragis (Latin, from , "a seal"), is a gelatinous secretion used in the mating of some species. It is deposited by a male into a female genital tract, such as the vag ...

after

copulation Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the erect male penis inside the female vagina and followed by thrusting motions for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both.Sexual inte ...

Gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...

in macropods lasts about a month, being slightly longer in the largest species. Typically, only a single young is born, weighing less than at birth. They soon attach themselves to one of four teats inside the mother's pouch. The young leave the pouch after five to 11 months, and are weaned after a further two to six months. Macropods reach

sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans, it is related to both puberty and adulthood. ''Puberty'' is the biological process of sexual maturation, while ''adulthood'', the condition of being socially recognized ...

at one to three years of age, depending on the species.

Fossil record

The evolutionary ancestors of marsupials split from placental mammals during the Jurassic period about 160 million years ago (Mya). The earliest known fossil macropod dates back about 11.61 to 28.4 Mya, either in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the pro ...

, and was uncovered in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Unfortunately, the fossil could not be identified any further than the family. A

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

fossil of a species similar to '' Hadronomas'' has been dated at around 5.33 to 11.61 Mya, falling in the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...

. The earliest completely identifiable fossils are from around 5.33 Mya.

Classification

The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's

Mammal Species of the World ''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in mammalogy giving descriptions and Bibliographic database, bibliographic data for the known species of mammals. It is now in its third edition, ...

(2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

agree on a change. The two living

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

in the family Macropodidae are the Lagostrophinae, represented by a single species, the

banded hare-wallaby The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (''Lagostrophus fasciatus'') is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced m ...

, and the remainder, which make up the subfamily Macropodinae (67 species). * Macropodidae ** Genus †'' Watutia'' ** Genus †''

Dorcopsoides ''Dorcopsoides'' is a genus of extinct species of kangaroo from the Pliocene of Australia.. Description ''Dorcopsoides'' was described in 1967 from the well-preserved lower jaw, skull fragments and occipital found in the Upper Miocene Alcoota F ...

'' ** Genus †'' Kurrabi'' ** Subfamily

Lagostrophinae The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (''Lagostrophus fasciatus'') is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced m ...

*** Genus ''

Lagostrophus The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (''Lagostrophus fasciatus'') is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced m ...

'' ****

Banded hare-wallaby The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (''Lagostrophus fasciatus'') is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced m ...

, ''Lagostrophus fasciatus'' *** Genus †''

Protemnodon ''Protemnodon'' is an extinct genus of megafaunal macropodids that existed in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Members of this genus are also called giant kangaroos. Protemnodon tumbuna Taxonomy Recent analy ...

'' *** Genus †'' Troposodon'' ** Subfamily Sthenurinae *** Genus †'' Hadronomas'' *** Tribe † Sthenurini **** Genus †'' Sthenurus'' **** Genus †'' Metasthenurus'' *** Tribe † Simosthenurini **** Genus †'' Archaeosimos'' **** Genus †'' Simosthenurus'' **** Genus †'' Procoptodon'' ** Subfamily

Macropodinae Macropodinae is a subfamily of marsupials in the family Macropodidae, which includes the kangaroos, wallabies, and related species. The subfamily includes about ten genera and at least 51 species. It includes all living members of the Macropodid ...

*** Genus †'' Prionotemnus'' *** Genus †''

Congruus ''Congruus'' is an extinct genus of macropod known from the Late Pleistocene of Australia. There are two species, ''Congruus kitcheneri'', which was originally described as a species of '' Wallabia,'' and ''Congruus congruus''.McNamara JA. 199A n ...

'' *** Genus †'' Baringa'' *** Genus †''

Bohra Bohra or Bora may refer to: Groups of people * Bohras, several groups in Tayyibi Isma'ilism *Alavi Bohras, a Tayyibi Isma'ili community in Gujarat, India *Dawoodi Bohra, a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam *Sulaym ...

'' *** Genus †'' Synaptodon'' *** Genus †'' Fissuridon'' *** Genus †'' Silvaroo'' *** Genus †''

Nombe ''Nombe'' is an extinct genus of macropodid containing a single species, ''Nombe nombe.'' which was formerly classified as a member of the genus ''Protemnodon.'' It was native to New Guinea during the Late Pleistocene. It was relatively large in ...

'' *** Genus ''

Dendrolagus Tree-kangaroos are marsupials of the genus ''Dendrolagus'', adapted for arboreal locomotion. They inhabit the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and far northeastern Queensland, Australia along with some of the islands in the region. All tree- ...

'':

s ****

Grizzled tree-kangaroo The grizzled tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus inustus'') is a furry, long-tailed mammal native to tropical rainforests on the island of New Guinea (split between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). Like most tree-kangaroos (genus '' Dendrolagus''), it l ...

, ''Dendrolagus inustus'' ****

Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus lumholtzi'') is a rare, long-tailed marsupial found in rainforests in northeastern Australia. Like most tree-kangaroos (genus ''Dendrolagus''), it lives alone in trees and feeds on plant matter. It belongs ...

, ''Dendrolagus lumholtzi'' ****

Bennett's tree-kangaroo Bennett's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus bennettianus'') is a large tree-kangaroo. Males can weigh from 11.5 kg up to almost 14 kg (25 to 31 lbs), while the females range between about . They are very agile and are able to leap down ...

, ''Dendrolagus bennettianus'' ****

Ursine tree-kangaroo The ursine tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus ursinus'') is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in tropical forests on the island of New Guinea (in Indonesia). Slightly larger than a cat, it lives alone in trees and is active at night to ...

, ''Dendrolagus ursinus'' ****

Matschie's tree-kangaroo Matschie's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus matschiei''), also known as the Huon tree-kangaroo is a tree-kangaroo native to the Huon Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea island, within the nation of Papua New Guinea. Under the IUCN classification, Ma ...

, ''Dendrolagus matschiei'' **** Doria's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus dorianus'' ****

Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus goodfellowi''), also called the ornate tree-kangaroo, is an endangered, long-tailed mammal native to rainforests of New Guinea. Like most tree-kangaroos (genus '' Dendrolagus''), it lives in the treetops ...

, ''Dendrolagus goodfellowi'' **** Lowlands tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus spadix'' **** Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus pulcherrimus'' **** Seri's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus stellarum'' ****

Dingiso The dingiso () (''Dendrolagus mbaiso''), also known as the bondegezou or bakaga, is an endangered, long-tailed marsupial found only in mountain forests on the west of the island of New Guinea (in Indonesia). It is a species of tree-kangaroo (genu ...

, ''Dendrolagus mbaiso'' ****

Tenkile The tenkile (''Dendrolagus scottae''), also known as Scott's tree-kangaroo, is a species of tree-kangaroo in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to a very small area of the Torricelli Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Flannery, Tim: ''Mammals o ...

, ''Dendrolagus scottae'' **** Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus mayri'' ****

Ifola ''Dendrolagus notatus'', the ifola or ifola tree kangaroo, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea where it is found in high elevations of the central mountains. It is threatened by habitat loss ...

, ''Dendrolagus notatus'' *** Genus ''

Dorcopsis ''Dorcopsis'' is a genus of marsupial in the family Macropodidae Macropodidae is a Family (biology), family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, Wallaby, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. ...

'' ****

Brown dorcopsis The brown dorcopsis (''Dorcopsis muelleri''), also known as the brown forest wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to the lowlands of West New Guinea (Southwest Papua, West Papua, Central Papua, Papua) and ...

, ''Dorcopsis muelleri'' ****

White-striped dorcopsis The white-striped dorcopsis or greater forest wallaby (''Dorcopsis hageni'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in the northern part of Western New Guinea, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is a common species in s ...

, ''Dorcopsis hageni'' ****

Black dorcopsis The black dorcopsis or black forest wallaby (''Dorcopsis atrata'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to Goodenough Island at the eastern end of New Guinea where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry ...

, ''Dorcopsis atrata'' ****

Gray dorcopsis The gray dorcopsis or gray forest wallaby (''Dorcopsis luctuosa'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. Description The gray dorcopsis has a long muzzle and small, rounded ears. ...

, ''Dorcopsis luctuosa'' *** Genus ''

Dorcopsulus ''Dorcopsulus'' is a genus of small marsupials in the family Macropodidae, known as forest wallabies. They are native to rainforests and montane forests of New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papu ...

'' **** Small dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsulus vanheurni'' ****

Macleay's dorcopsis Macleay's dorcopsis (''Dorcopsulus macleayi''), also known as the Papuan dorcopsis or the Papuan forest wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea, where its natural habitat is subtropical or ...

, ''Dorcopsulus macleayi'' *** Genus ''

Lagorchestes ''Lagorchestes'' is a genus of small, rabbit-like mammals commonly known as hare-wallabies. It includes four species native to Australia and New Guinea, two of which are extinct. Hare-wallabies belong to the macropod family (Macropodidae) which i ...

'' **** †

Lake Mackay hare-wallaby The Lake Mackay hare-wallaby (''Lagorchestes asomatus''), also known as the central hare-wallaby or kuluwarri, is an extinct species of macropod formerly found in central Australia. Very little is known about it. Family The Lake Mackay hare-w ...

, ''Lagorchestes asomatus'' ****

Spectacled hare-wallaby The spectacled hare-wallaby (''Lagorchestes conspicillatus'') is a species of macropod found in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, a small sub-population is found on Barrow Island, while the mainland type is widespread, though in decline, ...

, ''Lagorchestes conspicillatus'' ****

Rufous hare-wallaby The rufous hare-wallaby (''Lagorchestes hirsutus''), also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent, but naturally occurring populations are now confine ...

, ''Lagorchestes hirsutus'' **** †

Eastern hare-wallaby The eastern hare-wallaby (''Lagorchestes leporides''), once also known as the common hare wallaby, is an extinct species of wallaby that was native to southeastern Australia. It was first described by John Gould in 1841. Description The eastern ...

, ''Lagorchestes leporides'' *** Genus ''

Macropus ''Macropus'', from the Ancient Greek words μάκρος (''mákros''), meaning "long", and πους (''pous''), meaning "foot", is a marsupial genus in the family Macropodidae. It has two extant species of large terrestrial kangaroos. Thirteen kn ...

'' ****

Western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...

, ''Macropus fuliginosus'' ****

Eastern grey kangaroo The eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus'': gigantic large-foot; also great grey kangaroo or forester kangaroo) is a marsupial found in the eastern third of Australia, with a population of several million. Although a large ''M. giganteus ...

, ''Macropus giganteus'' *** Genus ''

Notamacropus ''Notamacropus'' is a genus of small marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as wallabies (among other species). The term is derived from the Latin ''nota'' "stripe" and ''macropus'' "kangaroo", referencing the distinct facial stri ...

'' ****

Agile wallaby The agile wallaby (''Notamacropus agilis''), also known as the sandy wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the most common wallaby in north Australia. The agile wallaby is a sandy colour, beco ...

, ''Notamacropus agilis'' ****

Black-striped wallaby The black-striped wallaby (''Notamacropus dorsalis''), also known as the scrub wallaby or eastern brush wallaby, is a medium-sized wallaby found in Australia, from Townsville in Queensland to Narrabri in New South Wales. In New South Wales, it i ...

, ''Notamacropus dorsalis'' ****

Tammar wallaby The tammar wallaby (''Notamacropus eugenii''), also known as the dama wallaby or darma wallaby, is a small macropod native to South and Western Australia. Though its geographical range has been severely reduced since European colonisation, the ...

, ''Notamacropus eugenii'' ****

Western brush wallaby The western brush wallaby (''Notamacropus irma''), also known as the black-gloved wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in the southwestern coastal region of Western Australia. The wallaby's main threat is predation by the introduced red fox (' ...

, ''Notamacropus irma'' ****

Parma wallaby The parma wallaby (''Notamacropus parma'') is a small marsupial macropod mammal native to forests and densely-vegetated areas of northeastern New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Queensland. An introduced population exists on New ...

, ''Notamacropus parma'' **** Pretty-faced wallaby, ''Notamacropus parryi'' ****

Red-necked wallaby The red-necked wallaby or Bennett's wallaby (''Notamacropus rufogriseus'') is a medium-sized macropod marsupial (wallaby), common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Red-necked wallabies have been i ...

, ''Notamacropus rufogriseus'' **** † Toolache wallaby, ''Notamacropus greyi'' *** Genus ''

Onychogalea The nail-tail wallabies, of genus ''Onychogalea'', are three species of macropods, all found in Australia. Related to kangaroos and wallabies, they are smaller species distinguished by a horny spur at the end of their tail. The northern nail-tai ...

'' ****

Bridled nail-tail wallaby The bridled nail-tail wallaby (''Onychogalea fraenata''), also known as the bridled nail-tailed wallaby, bridled nailtail wallaby, bridled wallaby, merrin, and flashjack, is a vulnerable species of macropod. It is a small wallaby found in three ...

, ''Onychogalea fraenata'' **** †

Crescent nail-tail wallaby The crescent nail-tail wallaby, also known as the worong (''Onychogalea lunata''), was a small species of marsupial that grazed on grasses in the scrub and woodlands of southwestern and central Australia. They were common in Western Australia bef ...

, ''Onychogalea lunata'' ****

Northern nail-tail wallaby The northern or sandy nail-tail wallaby (''Onychogalea unguifera'') is a species of macropod found across northern Australia on arid and sparsely wooded plains. The largest species of the genus '' Onychogalea'', it is a solitary and nocturnal h ...

, ''Onychogalea unguifera'' *** Genus ''

Osphranter ''Osphranter'' is a genus of large marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as kangaroos and wallaroos (among other species). It contains the largest extant marsupial, the red kangaroo (''O. rufus''). In 2019, a reassessment of mac ...

'' ****

Antilopine kangaroo The antilopine kangaroo (''Osphranter antilopinus''), also known as the antilopine wallaroo or the antilopine wallaby, is a species of Macropodidae, macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the N ...

, ''Osphranter antilopinus'' ****

Black wallaroo The black wallaroo (''Osphranter bernardus''), also known as Woodward's wallaroo, is a species of macropod restricted to a small, mountainous area in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, between South Alligator River and Nabarlek. It cl ...

, ''Osphranter bernardus'' ****

Common wallaroo The common wallaroo (''Osphranter robustus''), also known as the euro, hill wallaroo, or simply wallaroo, is a species of macropod. The word ''euro'' is particularly applied to one subspecies (''O. r. erubescens'').WE Poole and JC Merchant (198 ...

, ''Osphranter robustus'' ****

Red kangaroo The red kangaroo (''Osphranter rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the Largest mammals#Marsupials (Marsupialia), largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, exce ...

, ''Osphranter rufus'' *** Genus ''

Petrogale The rock-wallabies are the wallabies of the genus ''Petrogale''. Taxonomy The genus was established in 1837 by John Edward Gray in a revision of material at the British Museum of Natural History. Gray nominated his earlier description of ''Kan ...

'' **** ''P. brachyotis'' species-group *****

Short-eared rock-wallaby The short-eared rock-wallaby (''Petrogale brachyotis'') is a species of rock-wallaby found in northern Australia, in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is much larger than its three closest relatives, the ...

, ''Petrogale brachyotis'' *****

Monjon The monjon (''Petrogale burbidgei'') is the smallest species of rock-wallaby ('' Petrogale'') in the family Macropodidae, found in northwestern Australia. They are restricted to a small area of the Kimberley in the state of Western Australia, a ...

, ''Petrogale burbidgei'' *****

Nabarlek The nabarlek (''Petrogale concinna'') is a small species of macropod found in northern Australia. They are a shy and nocturnal animal that resides in rocky hollows and forages in the surrounding area. Their diet is grasses, sedges, and ferns fo ...

, ''Petrogale concinna'' **** ''P. xanthopus'' species-group *****

Proserpine rock-wallaby The Proserpine rock-wallaby (''Petrogale persephone'') is a species of rock-wallaby restricted to a small area in Conway National Park, Dryander National Park, Gloucester Island National Park, and around the town of Airlie Beach, all in Whits ...

, ''Petrogale persephone'' *****

Rothschild's rock-wallaby Rothschild's rock-wallaby (''Petrogale rothschildi'') – sometimes known as the Roebourne rock-wallaby, is a species of macropod found in Western Australia, in the Pilbara district and the Dampier Archipelago. It is not currently considered to ...

, ''Petrogale rothschildi'' *****

Yellow-footed rock-wallaby The yellow-footed rock-wallaby (''Petrogale xanthopus''), formerly known as the ring-tailed rock-wallaby, is a member of the macropod family (the marsupial family that includes the kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, and wallaroos). Taxon ...

, ''Petrogale xanthopus'' **** ''P. lateralis''/''penicillata'' species-group ***** Allied rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale assimilis'' ***** Cape York rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale coenensis'' *****

Godman's rock-wallaby Godman's rock-wallaby (''Petrogale godmani'') is a diprotodont marsupial, and a typical rock-wallaby. It is found in northern and north-eastern Queensland, Australia. This rock-wallaby is found in low open forest, open scrub, or montane regions, ...

, ''Petrogale godmani'' *****

Herbert's rock-wallaby Herbert's rock-wallaby (''Petrogale herberti'') is a member of a group of seven very closely related rock-wallabies found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. Herbert's is the most southerly and most widespread of the group. Herbert's rock-wa ...

, ''Petrogale herberti'' ***** Unadorned rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale inornata'' ***** Black-flanked rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale lateralis'' *****

Mareeba rock-wallaby The Mareeba rock-wallaby (''Petrogale mareeba'') is a rare species of rock-wallaby found around Mareeba in northeastern Queensland, Australia. Taxonomy The Mareeba rock-wallaby is a member of a group of seven very closely related species with ...

, ''Petrogale mareeba'' *****

Brush-tailed rock-wallaby The brush-tailed rock-wallaby or small-eared rock-wallaby (''Petrogale penicillata'') is a kind of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus '' Petrogale''. It inhabits rock piles and cliff lines along the Great Dividing Range from ab ...

, ''Petrogale penicillata'' ***** Purple-necked rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale purpureicollis'' *****

Mount Claro rock-wallaby The Mount Claro rock-wallaby (''Petrogale sharmani''), also known as Sharman's rock-wallaby, is a species of rock-wallaby found in northeastern Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia ...

, ''Petrogale sharmani'' *** Genus '' Setonix'' ****

Quokka The quokka (; ''Setonix brachyurus'') is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. It is the only member of the genus ''Setonix''. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as kangaroos and wallabies), the quokka is herbiv ...

or short-tailed scrub wallaby, ''Setonix brachyurus'' *** Genus ''

Thylogale Pademelons () are small marsupials in the genus ''Thylogale'', found in Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. They are some of the smallest members of the macropod family, which includes the similar-looking but larger kangaroos and ...

'' ****

Tasmanian pademelon The Tasmanian pademelon (''Thylogale billardierii''), also known as the rufous-bellied pademelon or red-bellied pademelon, is the sole species of pademelon found in Tasmania, and was formerly found throughout southeastern Australia. This pademel ...

, ''Thylogale billardierii'' **** Brown's pademelon, ''Thylogale browni'' ****

Dusky pademelon The dusky pademelon or dusky wallaby (''Thylogale brunii'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in the Aru and Kai islands and the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands ecoregion of New Guinea. Its natural habitats are ...

, ''Thylogale brunii'' ****

Calaby's pademelon Calaby's pademelon (''Thylogale calabyi''), also known as the alpine wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting. Pademelons share many similarit ...

, ''Thylogale calabyi'' ****

Mountain pademelon The mountain pademelon (''Thylogale lanatus'') is one of seven species of the genus '' Thylogale''. It is found only in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceani ...

, ''Thylogale lanatus'' ****

Red-legged pademelon The red-legged pademelon (''Thylogale stigmatica'') is a species of small macropod found on the northeastern coast of Australia and in New Guinea. In Australia it has a scattered distribution from the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to ...

, ''Thylogale stigmatica'' ****

Red-necked pademelon The red-necked pademelon (''Thylogale thetis'') is a forest-dwelling marsupial living in the eastern coastal region of Australia between extreme south-east Queensland and central eastern New South Wales. Description A small species of macropo ...

, ''Thylogale thetis'' *** Genus ''

Wallabia The swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolor'') is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the black wallaby, with other names including black-tailed wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, stinker (in Que ...

'' ****

Swamp wallaby The swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolor'') is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the black wallaby, with other names including black-tailed wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, stinker (in Qu ...

or black wallaby, ''W. bicolor''

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Marsupials of Australia Extant Chattian first appearances Mammal families Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Description

Fossil record

Classification

See also

References

External links