The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word OTTERS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
O
T
T
E
R
S
More clues leading to the result OTTERS
- Animals prepared to rest
- River mammals in rocks, hiding head
- . Riverside residents on the Thames estuary, rock stars originally
- Quarry of a particular hound, barking to rest
- Unkind people decapitated animals
- Notebooks unopened? They’re probably out swimming and running around
- Queen’s after extravagant fur producers?
- Animals to rest after swimming
- Bad people not right at the outset, beasts
- Aquatic creatures returning fight around river
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "River mammals" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case river mammals = otters.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 OTTERS mean?
OTTERS noun- An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, and others.
- A hairy man with a slender physique, in contrast with a bear, who is more thickset.