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Tammar wallaby vision: the science and the numbers

Macropus eugenii · order Diprotodontia · Mammals: all the numbers

The tammar wallaby has 2 colour receptor classes (420 and 539 nm): mainly blues and yellows; reds and greens look alike.[1] Its sharpest vision resolves 3.75 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[6][7] Both eyes see the same 60° in front of it.[9]

See it on your photoBack to How does the tammar wallaby see?
  • 2colour receptor classesMeasured*
  • 3.75cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 60°seen by both eyesMeasured

The tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) is a mammal in the order Diprotodontia. Its eyes belong to the vision type Small prey mammal (UV): two or three cone types, often including ultraviolet, low sharpness and a near-panoramic field. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness, field of view and night vision. Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the tammar wallaby sees: colour receptors

Tammar wallaby colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmTammar wallaby: 2 receptor peaks at 420, 539 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Tammar wallaby: 420, 539 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has two colour receptor classes (a dichromat): reds and greens fall on one axis, as in red-green colour blindness in people.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 3.75 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Both eyes see the same 60° in front of it (binocular overlap), where depth is judged best.
  • Activity pattern: nocturnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
2 receptor classes: 420 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 539 nm (MWS (green))
measured in this species
Measured (not re-verified)[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
3.75 cycles per degree
median of 2 behavioural rows (method priority rule)
Measured[6][7]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[8][7]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
60°
median of 1 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[9]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[9][10]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[11]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[11]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[9][10]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
median of 80 relatives in class Mammalia: Canis lupus, Vulpes lagopus, Acinonyx jubatus, Felis catus, Crocuta crocuta, Enhydra lutris
Group default[12]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[12]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[12]
Fovea type
area centralis		Group default[12]
Night visionActivity pattern
nocturnal
mode of 7 rows (of 7 rows): cathemeral; nocturnal; nocturnal/crepuscular; scotopic
Measured (not re-verified)[13][14][15][16][17][18][7]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[13][14][15][2][16][19][17][18]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[20][21]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[22]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[13][14][15][2][16][19][17][18]
Rods vs cones
rod-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[13][14][15][16][17][18][7]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
22.4 Hz
median of 1 relatives in order Diprotodontia: Trichosurus vulpecula
Group default[23]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[24][25]

All mammals side by side: Mammals: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Hemmi 1999; Hemmi et al. 2000
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Caves et al. 2024
  7. Veilleux et al. 2014
  8. Kirk et al. 2004
  9. Heesy 2004
  10. Heffner et al. 1992
  11. Campbell & Green 1965
  12. Kopania et al. 2025
  13. Anderson et al. 2017
  14. Borges et al. 2018
  15. Wilman et al. 2014
  16. Maor et al. 2017
  17. Schmitz et al. 2011
  18. Moura et al. 2024
  19. Jones et al. 2009
  20. Banks et al. 2015
  21. Cervino et al. 2021
  22. Guareschi et al. 2025
  23. Haarlem et al. 2026
  24. Healy et al. 2013
  25. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.