The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word GAZELLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
G
A
Z
E
L
L
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Animal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case animal = gazelle.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 GAZELLE mean?
GAZELLE noun- An antelope of either of the genera Gazella (mostly native to Africa) or Procapra (native to Asia), capable of running at high speeds for long periods.