Hyainailouros ("hyena-Felidae") is an extinct polyphyletic genus of hyaenodont belonging to the family Hyainailouridae that lived during the Early Miocene to Late Miocene, of which there were at least three species spread across Eurasia and Africa.
Description
The type species,
H. sulzeri, was one of the largest hyaenodont, weighing between .
H. bugtiensis was around the same size of
H. sulzeri, if not slightly larger, weighing . Both species were similar in size to the closely related
Simbakubwa. H. napakensis, on the other hand, was the smallest species of the genus, weighing just around .
Paleobiology
Closely related to other large African hyaenodonts such as
Simbakubwa and
Megistotherium,
Hyainailouros walked with a
Digitigrade stance and was probably capable of large, leaping bounds.
