The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word IGUANAS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
I
G
U
A
N
A
S
More clues leading to the result IGUANAS
- Monitors briefly dropping in heading off prejudice
- A month back, confined to home, like tropical native
- Mislaid ten terribly nauseating beasts
- Lizards that may be using a double disguise
- One sort of fertiliser not round like reptiles
- Frantically using articles to identify animals
- Misrepresented us again as “vegetarian creatures”!
- Area including French overseas department’s promoting island lizards
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "animals" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case animals = iguanas.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 IGUANAS mean?
IGUANAS noun- A green iguana (Iguana iguana), a large tropical American lizard often kept as a pet
- In zoology, any member of the genus Iguana
- Colloquially, in America and the Pacific, any of several members of the lizard family Iguanidae.
- Colloquially, in Africa, any large member of the genus Varanus, especially the aquatic Nile monitor -- see leguan
- Colloquially, in Australia, any member of the genus Varanus -- see goanna