Crossword Genius

African rodent, squealer with dark patch in front (4,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mole rat

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'african rodent' is the definition.
(mole rat is a type of African rodent)

'squealer with dark patch in front' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'squealer' could be 'rat' (synonyms) and 'rat' is found in the answer.
'dark patch' could be 'mole' (marking on skin) and 'mole' is found within the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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