* Kangaroo rats belong to the family Heteromyidae, which also includes pocket mice.
* Kangaroos belong to the family Macropodidae, which includes other marsupials like wallabies and quokkas.
The similarities in their names and hopping locomotion are due to convergent evolution, meaning they evolved similar traits independently because they adapted to similar environments and ecological pressures.
Therefore, while they share a common ancestor way back in the evolutionary tree, kangaroo rats are more closely related to pocket mice than to kangaroos.