Animal's hide when given away (8)

I believe the answer is:

squirrel

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

'animal's' is the definition.
(squirrel is a kind of animal)

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for squirrel that I've seen before include "Nut-gathering rodent" , "Tree-climbing rodent which hoards nuts" , "Gnawing animal" , "Tree-dwelling rodent" , "Brown or red rodent" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app