| 100% | ARMADILLO | 9 | Burrowing animal with a coat of "armor," that is the official state small mammal of Texas |
| 41% | MOUSELEMUR | 10 | A species unique to Madagascar that is the world's smallest primate and one of the smallest mammals in the world: 2 wds. |
| 41% | BEAR | 4 | Grizzly ___, official state animal of California that is also featured on the state flag |
| 41% | ALA | 3 | State that has a small border with the Gulf of Mexico: Abbr. |
| 41% | NENE | 4 | Hawaiian goose that is the official state bird of Hawaii |
| 40% | SPACE | 5 | United States ___ Force, smallest of the US military branches that is often confused with NASA |
| 40% | OLD | 3 | "___ New Hampshire," song that is the official state song of New Hampshire |
| 40% | STOAT | 5 | Mammal with a coat that changes color in the winter |
| 39% | CHILI | 5 | Spicy food that's the official state dish of Texas |
| 38% | ALAMO | 5 | Texas mission that was the site of a historic battle |
| 38% | ASHE | 4 | ___ Stadium, venue with a cushioned acrylic surface that is the largest of its type in the world |
| 38% | HEDGEHOG | 8 | Small nocturnal mammal with a protective covering of spines along the back |
| 37% | BISON | 5 | Horned bovine found in North America that is the official animal of Canada's Manitoba |
| 37% | RHESUS | 6 | Animal that shares its name with a king of Thrace in the "Iliad" |
| 37% | HOWDO | 5 | Greeting that might be made with a tip of the hat |
| 37% | AFRICA | 6 | Continent with Nigeria that is the subject of a song by Toto |
| 37% | ALAMO | 5 | Texas landmark that is also the name of a tree |
| 36% | OHIO | 4 | State that's the title of a Neil Young song (where Cleveland is) |
| 36% | SAMPLES | 7 | Small quantities of a product that show what the whole is like (plural) |
| 35% | EWE | 3 | Kind of animal that Dolly, the first cloned mammal, was |
| 35% | SUNFLOWER | 9 | (See 12a) Bloom with edible seeds that was the subject of a famous painting by Van Gogh |
| 35% | ARMADILLO | 9 | Burrowing mammal of the Americas much of whose body is covered with strong horny plates |
| 35% | IOLANI | 6 | With 36-Across, only official residence of a reigning monarch now in the United States |
| 35% | VINICIUS | 8 | Official mascot of the 2016 Summer Olympics that was named after a poet de Moraes |
| 35% | TEE | 3 | Item that might be knocked out of the ground with a golf shot |
| 35% | HAG | 3 | ___fish: jawless, marine animals that are the only known living animals with a skull, but no spinal column |
| 35% | MEME | 4 | A funny image, video or text that is shared rapidly over the internet, with small modifications |
| 35% | FISH | 4 | Flying ___, marine animal with wing-like fins that is a national symbol of Barbados |
| 35% | PUN | 3 | Joke with a homophone, say, that is the so-called "lowest form of humor" |
| 34% | GONG | 4 | A massive bell that is hit with a mallet, usually used to signify the start of something |