Currently "ringtail" is set as a species tag, but it's not a species but type of color on tail, like ringed tail. It's the same thing, so it should be aliased into one another.
There are actuall species with "ringtailed" in their name though:

ring-tailed_lemur
ring-tailed_cat
ring-tailed_mongoose
ringtail_possum, etc.

Well, to me it seems like the wiki is wrong. Ringtail lemur is a species and I believe that's the supposed meaning of the tag. If this is wrong then it's atleast my personal oppinion of the optimal solution.

Edit: now when I proprerly read your post, the above doesn't make much sense. How about disambiguating ringtail?

StaticNoise said:
Currently "ringtail" is set as a species tag, but it's not a species but type of color on tail

AFAIK "ringtail" as a noun means ring-tailed cat, in the US at least.

Relevant: forum #176639

(Relevant because it's still pending, after two years.)

CCoyote said:
Actually, I work with ringtails as a professional, and what you've called a ringtail cat is not a cat. Ringtail is the more correct name for the species.

Doesn't matter that it's not a cat, that's the common name. Common names are frequently technically incorrect, imprecise, and get used for multiple species which is why scientific names are useful. Imo for this site's purposes it's a better tag since 'ringtail' gets applied to every species with a ringed tail, especially lemurs.

CCoyote said:
Actually, I work with ringtails as a professional, and what you've called a ringtail cat is not a cat. Ringtail is the more correct name for the species.

Yet, the common name is not always taxonomically correct. There are no shortage of animals named one thing that are something else. (long and wordy explanation follows for 'everyone else'... I'm not trying to explain Ringtails to you CCoyote. :) I trust that you understand them professionally!)

The ring-tailed cat is part of the raccoon family and is native to north america. It is some times called a Civet Cat (after the asian/african civets, which are part of the Viverridae family which are feliform carnivores (that is, cat like) and are composed of various civets, linsang, genets... including this guy who never fails to make me laugh. He's a Binturong, also known as a bear cat. It is neither bear nor cat. :)) But, back to the North american ring tailed cat..) ... Ringtailed cats have also been called miner's cats and have apparently domesticated themselves on several occasions as they make good mousers and affectionate pets. :)

The ringtailed cat is ALSO called a cacomistle which has 219 posts... whih refers to both Bassariscus astutus and Bassariscus sumichrasti

Anyhow, it's kinda like how possums are entirely different things to north american readers and australian readers--yet both names are correct.

HUmans trying to name things is fun.

Get me started on wolves some time. :)

what's the solution? I dunno! but 'ringtail' is vague enough that it shoudl go.

"correct common name"?

But isn't it the case that common names are defined by what the public uses, regardless of how silly it may be? Are you therefore asserting that "ringtail" is the most commonly used name?

CCoyote said:
Actually, no. Professionals in the field are trying very hard to educate people that "ring-tailed cat" is NOT the correct common name. The correct common name is ringtail.

I don't know why I'm arguing this. It's not like anyone's trying to BE correct.

Well, I now know this, so your argument's not falling on deaf ears, hun. :) It's a neat fact to know and I'll do my best to share this information.

and I would prefer to be correct. :) Thank you for sharing this!

...
Perhaps we should do something like aliasing ringtail and ring-tailed_cat to something like American_ringtail or Ringtail_(animal) or ringtail_(species) ?

And the marking--ringed_tail should join it's buddies with something like ringed_tail_(marking) or ringed_tail_marking or tail_rings or whatever.

whatcha think of that?

Also, are they as cute in real life as the pictures would have me believe? <3

savageorange said:
"correct common name"?

But isn't it the case that common names are defined by what the public uses, regardless of how silly it may be? Are you therefore asserting that "ringtail" is the most commonly used name?

It's a "debate" that exists between people who are big sticklers for being proper and people who think it's a waste of time. Considering how many species are named for other species, sometimes to the point it's unclear which group is the 'correct' one, and even technical names doing it (as an example Bassariscus is derived from a Greek word for fox)... Yeah, it's not a battle that can be realistically won.

Story time. Ringtails aren't very well known outside of America (or maybe even there) but their relatives the raccoons are. In languages that did not adopt either "raccoon" (Powhatan) or "mapache" (Nahuatl), they are called "washing bears", and further East "washing genets". Skimming Wikipedia, ringtails are "(adj) cacomistles", "(adj) raccoons" but sometimes also "cat-ferrets" o.O

SnowWolf said:
Perhaps we should do something like aliasing ringtail and ring-tailed_cat to something like American_ringtail or Ringtail_(animal) or ringtail_(species) ?

Voting for ringtail -> ringtail_(animal) with a wiki page describing what kind of animal it is. ringed_tail is perfectly ok imo.

Also, are they as cute in real life as the pictures would have me believe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gBjfmIL6dI