due to hyraxes originally being obligate herbivores, actual meat-eating predators took several million years to develop. the first adaptations for a meat-eating diet happened within them, as the stomachs of this clade of hyraxes became more acidic and much simpler. (this clade is called "Hyracocarnivoraformes".)
the first hyracocarnivoraforme to completely ditch a plant diet is an ant and termite specialist, on the one of the most basal branches of the hyracocarnivoraform tree. almost all other carnivorous hyraxes are in the clade "hyracocarnivora". it still has tusks, but it mainly uses them for self defense rather than eating. it has long claws derived from its originally blunt nails, and a tongue about 1/3 of the body length of this long-snouted hyrax. this animal is called the xenodasi.
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the members of the hyracocarnivora are still mainly omnivorous, but are now fully capable of eating flesh efficiently due to their carnassials evolved from premolar teeth. their new diet also promoted a massive jump in intelligence from their kin.
the most basal of the "cat-like" hyracocarnivorans (Clade hyrailuria) is the slightly cat-like ailudasi. their tusks are sturdy, and reinforced with ivory, so the risk of these teeth breaking are very low. they primarily hunt by dropping down on their prey and biting down on their neck. the blunt nails of basal allohyracoids have turned back into claws on all hyracocarnivorans, and these assist in not only balancing on trees, but they also aid in gripping onto prey. but hunting isnt the only part of these animal's life. a good portion of their time when not hunting is spent on foraging for sugary, high calorie fruits they can find. these animals can grow to be up to 100 pounds.
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another, longer snouted hyracocarnivoran is more suited for chasing prey then ambushing them from a distance. almost doglike in appearance, the lycadasi is the dominant fully terrestrial predator. though occasionally, they do fall prey to an ambushing ailudasi. these creatures are about 70 pounds. (Clade cynohyraxia)
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