The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ANTBEAR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
N
T
B
E
A
R
More clues leading to the result ANTBEAR
- A group of conservationists tolerate a nocturnal creature
- Nocturnal creature needs attention after an illness
- One half of TV duo uncovered, we’re told, animal
- Aardvark – this beast originally coming in close behind start of alphabet
- Aardvark or elephant? Be a risky selection
- A new snag involving black burrowing animal
- Banter exchanged about a nocturnal creature
- African native given a set of books to carry
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "African native" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case african native = antbear.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ANTBEAR mean?
ANTBEAR noun- Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
- Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)