Hyainailouros ("hyena-cat") is an extinct polyphyletic genus of hyaenodont belonging to the family Hyainailouridae that lived during the early to middle Miocene, of which there were at least three species spread across Europe, Africa, and Asia.[6][7]
| Hyainailouros Temporal range: Early to Middle Miocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| lower jaw of Hyainailouros sulzeri | |
_fig._8.png) | |
| Restoration of H. sulzeri (far left), Cynelos eurydon, Afrosmilus africanus and H. napakensis (far right) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Hyaenodonta |
| Superfamily: | †Hyainailouroidea |
| Family: | †Hyainailouridae |
| Subfamily: | †Hyainailourinae |
| Tribe: | †Hyainailourini |
| Genus: | †Hyainailouros Biedermann, 1863 |
| Type species | |
| †Hyainailouros sulzeri Biedermann, 1863 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
synonyms of genus:
synonyms of species:
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Closely related to other large African hyaenodonts such as Simbakubwa and Megistotherium, Hyainailouros walked with a semi-digitigrade stance and was probably capable of large, leaping bounds.[8]