Animal act takes time with Manx cat (8)

I believe the answer is:

platypus

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'animal' is the definition.
(platypus is a kind of animal)

'act takes time with manx cat' is the wordplay.
'act' becomes 'play' (play is a kind of act).
'takes' indicates putting letters inside.
'time with' becomes 't' (abbreviation. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'manx' means to remove the last letter (Manx cats have no tail).
'cat' becomes 'puss' (puss is a kind of cat).
'play' placed around 't' is 'platy'.
'puss' with its last letter taken away is 'pus'.
'platy'+'pus'='PLATYPUS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for platypus that I've seen before include "Primitive mammal, duck-billed" , "venomous mammal" , "Egg-laying mammal" , "Exotic animal" , "Aquatic creature" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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