Crossword Genius

Animal showing excessive hesitation (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

otter

'animal' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'excessive hesitation' is the wordplay.
'excessive' becomes 'ott' (short for 'over the top' - informal British).
'hesitation' becomes 'er'.
'ott'+'er'='OTTER'

'showing' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for otter that I've seen before include "Tarka, for one" , "bad-tempered little beast" , "one that eats fish" , "Water-loving animal" , "Water creature" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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