Crossword Genius

Mammal, maybe a mule at the end of its tether (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lemur

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

'mammal' is the definition.
(lemur is a kind of mammal)

'a mule at the end of its tether' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'mule' is 'lemu' which is within the answer.
A single letter 'r' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'maybe' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lemur that I've seen before include "Nocturnal primate from Madagascar" , "Social climber" , "Arboreal primate native to Madagascar" , "one in the bush?" , "Primate found only in Madagascar" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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