Long known to the Aboriginal Australians, for Europeans, the western grey kangaroo was the centre of a great deal of sometimes comical taxonomic confusion for almost 200 years.

Eventually, researchers at the Paris Museum of Natural History recognized that these animals were indeed distinct from the eastern grey kangaroo and formally described the species as Macropus fuliginosus in 1817.

[10] During the Late Pleistocene, its diet was more varied and incorporated a greater proportion of C4 plants relative to that of present western grey kangaroos.

[13] This reduced summer body temperature is thought to allow the species to conserve energy during a time when food availability is low.

The western grey kangaroo lives in groups of up to 15, and the males compete for females during the breeding season.

Although hybridisation occurs in both directions in the overlap zone between the two species, this does not seem to be the case with captive animals.

[15] The western grey kangaroo is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, with a population showing an increasing trend.

[17] Though the feeding habits of M. fuliginosus can be problematic for agriculture, it is protected and controlled exclusively by the state faunal authorities.

About 40% of harvested meat is used for human consumption; leather is used as a material for handbags, briefcases, and belts.