The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word RINGTAIL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
R
I
N
G
T
A
I
L
More clues leading to the result RINGTAIL
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RINGTAIL mean?
RINGTAIL noun- A ring-tailed animal, notably:
- A ringsail.