Animal gripped by hunger ate lots (5)
I believe the answer is:
ratel
'animal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'gripped by hunger ate lots' is the wordplay.
'gripped by' indicates a hidden word.
'RATEL' is hidden within 'hunger ate lots'.
(Other definitions for ratel that I've seen before include "creature with sweet tooth" , "wild animal" , "Honey-badger" , "predator" , "Mammal's" .)