Furry animal seen swimming around a kelp forest NYT Crossword Clue

5-letter answer to Furry animal seen swimming around a kelp forest in NYT Mini Crossword August 18 2026 is OTTER.

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Worth checking the FAQ too. It walks through why each answer is what it is and pulls up where the clue’s shown up before, which comes in handy if you’re actually trying to get sharper at these. 

Tips for Solving NYT Mini Crossword

• Fill-in-the-blank clues first. They’re the cheapest letters on the board.
• A question mark at the end of a clue means wordplay, not a straight definition.
• An abbreviation in the clue means an abbreviated answer.

The Mini is Joel Fagliano’s compact version of the NYT Crossword, running daily since 2014. It’s 5×5 most days and 7×7 on Saturdays, which is why Saturday takes about twice as long. New puzzles go live at 10 p.m. ET the night before. Sunday’s version arrives at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. Since August 2025 the Mini requires an NYT subscription that includes Games.