| SHREWS | These small mammals are often incorrectly thought to be rodents due to their similarity in appearanc |
| ERMINES | These little mammals are I hesitate to say the pits! |
| MONKEYPUZZLE | Araucaria, and what this crossword might be incorrectly thought of by the unwary, thanks to asterisked clues (12) |
| WINGS | Due to their tiny size, the toucan's ___ are used to help them glide short distances, they prefer to hop tree to tree rather than fly |
| SPLATS | Central wooden supports of chair backs; or, a slang word for asterisks, thought to be due to their apparent resemblance of squashed bugs (6) |
| COMINGUPFORAIR | Emerging out of the water to breathe, as this puzzle's aquatic mammals are preparing to do |
| GRASSHOPPERS | Crickets are frequently mistaken for ___ due to their similar body form and leaping hind legs. |
| ANALOGY | Drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect (7) |
| LESFLEURSDUMAL | Volume of poetry by Baudelaire -on publication in 1857, six poems were censored due to their immorality (3,6,2,3) |
| EGGS | Common shelled breakfast ingredients categorized by the USDA as "meats" due to their high protein co |
| TENDONS | The clicking sound reindeers make when walking is due to their ___ slipping over the foot bone. |
| GREATDANES | Finds fantastic parent occasionally intense - they look quite intimidating, due to their size |
| ENG | Person who was probably pushed out of Boeing due to their knowledge of science and how flights work (abbr.) |
| SNOB | Pejorative term for a person who feels superior due to their social class (4) |
| NOUGAT | Etymologically and literally "nutty" sweetmeat that is typically pink, pistachio-green or white and often incorrectly pronounced "nugget" (6) |
| MEDALS | Discs or "gongs" of merit whose name, derived from the medieval Latin for "denarii", refers to said prizes' similarity in appearance to coins (6) |
| BREASTFED | Maybe mammals are reared to hold feast all around (6-3) |
| LEMURS | Which arboreal mammals are allied to the monkeys (6) |
| DOLPHINARIUM | Where marine mammals are seen performing - Ian, I'm Rudolph (anag) (12) |
| THIRSTFOLLOWED | Added on social media due to their hotness |
