For the first column we find a pluralized name for a group of each animal.
The other three columns have crossword-style clues that must be solved (the last gives wacky phrases); all three have answers in alphabetical order.
| The... | Will Eat | Will Not Eat | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bass | SHOALS | Rounds | AMMO | 14 | Expert | ACE | -5 | Actor in films like Lasers vs. Girders | BEAM MOVIE STAR |
| 2 | Cat | CLOWDERS | Sea-bottom scraper | DREDGE | 19 | Merluccius | HAKE | -6 | Ruby, say | BLOOD-RED GEMSTONE |
| 3 | Wolf | PACKS | Happenings | EVENTS | 7 | Hem counterpart | HAW | -14 | The kind of guts needed to inhabit an asteroid | CERES INTESTINES |
| 4 | Fox | SKULKS | Architect Maya | LIN | 8 | Owl | HOOTER | -3 | One whose flower squirts your neck | CLOWN UNDERSHOOTER |
| 5 | Heron | SEDGES | Superhero Shimada | MIYA | 10 | Molva | LING | -12 | What's in a row of upright, load-bearing German bottles | COLONNADE RIESLING |
| 6 | Baboon | TROOPS | Activist Ralph | NADER | 13 | Grease | OIL | -10 | Reptile that keeps flipping | GATOR ON TOGGLE SWITCHES |
| 7 | Quail | BEVIES | Sister | NUN | 15 | Marijuana | POT | -4 | Rule that's a foot and a half long | HEMIYARDSTICK |
| 8 | Badger | CETES | Word | OATH | 12 | Pitch | TAR | -11 | Biodegradable biopowered conveyance | PAPER RICKSHAW |
| 9 | Goose | GAGGLES | Singer Christina | PERRI | 16 | Arachnid | TICK | -8 | What car-door force fields do | PREVENT SIDESWIPES |
| 10 | Ant | COLONIES | Cat, say | PET | 18 | Pointy things | TINES | -7 | What maps of the Rhineland keep doing | SHOWING ALSACE |
| 11 | Bee | STANDS | Pitch | RESIN | 20 | Color | TONE | -13 | Feature of a sloppily-drawn Jolly Roger | SKULL INKSPOT |
| 12 | Bison | HERDS | Graffiti artist | TAGGER | 17 | Mathematician Alan | TURING | -9 | Giving someone the occasional finger, perhaps | STAGGERED GESTURING |
| 13 | Lion | PRIDES | Raptors' city | TORONTO | 11 | Towelettes | WIPES | -2 | Weaselly way to greet someone | STOAT HANDSHAKE |
| 14 | Jellyfish | BLOOMS | Flapper | WING | 9 | Sorceresses | WITCHES | -1 | Where literary devices germinate | TROPE TOPSOIL |
The answers can be grouped so that each phrase consists of the "Will Eat" answer surrounded ("eaten") by the pluralized group, followed by the "Will Not Eat" answer.
Ordered by the given order of the animals, these are:
| 1 | Bass | SHOALS | Flapper | WING | 9 | Expert | ACE | -5 | What maps of the Rhineland keep doing | SHOWING ALSACE | 4 | W |
| 2 | Cat | CLOWDER | Sister | NUN | 15 | Owl | HOOTER | -3 | One whose flower squirts your neck | CLOWN UNDERSHOOTER | 12 | H |
| 3 | Wolf | PACKS | Singer Christina | PERRI | 16 | Hem counterpart | HAW | -14 | Biodegradable biopowered conveyance | PAPER RICKSHAW | 2 | A |
| 4 | Fox | SKULKS | Architect Maya | LIN | 8 | Marijuana | POT | -4 | Feature of a sloppily-drawn Jolly Roger | SKULL INKSPOT | 4 | L |
| 5 | Heron | SEDGES | Graffiti artist | TAGGER | 17 | Mathematician Alan | TURING | -9 | Giving someone the occasional finger, perhaps | STAGGERED GESTURING | 8 | E |
| 6 | Baboon | TROOPS | Cat, say | PET | 18 | Grease | OIL | -10 | Where literary devices germinate | TROPE TOPSOIL | 8 | P |
| 7 | Quail | BEVIES | Rounds | AMMO | 14 | Pitch | TAR | -11 | Actor in films like Lasers vs. Girders | BEAM MOVIE STAR | 3 | A |
| 8 | Badger | CETES | Pitch | RESIN | 20 | Pointy things | TINES | -7 | The kind of guts needed to inhabit an asteroid | CERES INTESTINES | 13 | N |
| 9 | Goose | GAGGLES | Raptors' city | TORONTO | 11 | Sorceresses | WITCHES | -1 | Reptile that keeps flipping | GATOR ON TOGGLE SWITCHES | 10 | G |
| 10 | Ant | COLONIES | Activist Ralph | NADER | 13 | Molva | LING | -12 | What's in a row of upright, load-bearing German bottles | COLONNADE RIESLING | 1 | C |
| 11 | Bee | STANDS | Word | OATH | 12 | Merluccius | HAKE | -6 | Weaselly way to greet someone | STOAT HANDSHAKE | 6 | H |
| 12 | Bison | HERDS | Superhero Shimada | MIYA | 10 | Arachnid | TICK | -8 | Rule that's a foot and a half long | HEMIYARDSTICK | 2 | E |
| 13 | Lion | PRIDES | Happenings | EVENTS | 7 | Towelettes | WIPES | -2 | What car-door force fields do | PREVENT SIDESWIPES | 5 | E |
| 14 | Jellyfish | BLOOMS | Sea-bottom scraper | DREDGE | 19 | Color | TONE | -13 | Ruby, say | BLOOD-RED GEMSTONE | 6 | R |
Adding the positive number from the "Will Eat" clue to the negative number from the "Will Not Eat" clue and using the result to index into the wacky phrase yields WHALE PANG CHEER.
Treating these as the animal, "Will Eat" clue, and "Will Not Eat" clue of a set and forming the corresponding phrase yields PO(ACHE)DS + OLE = POACHED SOLE, the answer.