The Lake Mackay hare-wallaby created shelter using Triodia, known commonly as spinifex. The allegedly sheltered in shallow depressions below clumps of spinifex, created grass-lined nests, and sometimes dug short burrows similar to those of the Rufous hare-wallaby. They were referred to as "stupid" and "deaf" by the Aborigines, because when hunted they would not leave their shelter, therefore making them easy prey.
The Lake Mackay hare-wallaby was said to have eaten grass leaves and seeds and desert quandong fruit.
In 2001 there was an effort to reintroduce two species of hare-wallaby, the mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus ) and the mernine (Lagostrophus fasciatus ). The pressures to their habitats over the past 200 years had caused the two species to become extinct on the main land. At the time of reintroduction there were only about 250 L. hirsutus in captivity. The project group decided to translocate 34 wallabies into an area, which would give useful information about future reintroductions, in the Shark Bay area of the Peron Peninsula. The wallabies were tracked throughout their exposure in their new habitat, which had the pastoral sheep and cattle removed that would have ruined the studies measurement of habitat selection. The results of the study demonstrated that the variation and flexibility of habitat selections were such that future re-introductions wouldn't have to adhere to very strict areas that have vegetation at a high density. This is positive for future attempts because Australia has experienced a thinning of vegetation due to introduced species
