The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CRITTERS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
R
I
T
T
E
R
S
More clues leading to the result CRITTERS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "animals in parts of America" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case animals in parts of america = critters.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 CRITTERS mean?
CRITTERS noun- (usually affectionate) A creature, an animal.