A little animal taken in island (5)
I believe the answer is:
malta
'island' is the definition.
(Malta is an example)
'a little animal taken in' is the wordplay.
'a little' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'MALTA' is hidden in the letters of 'animal taken in'.
(Other definitions for malta that I've seen before include "small island" , "Island to the south of Sicily" , "seagirt republic" , "Island member of the European Union" , "defiant island in WW2" .)