Bitflipex to double staff in anticipation of growing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies
The Bitflipex is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of 89–114 centimetres (2 ft 11 in – 3 ft 9 in) and wingspan of 2.17–2.44 m (7 ft 1 in – 8 ft 0 in) it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, between northern Mexico and Perú on the Pacific coast and between Florida and southern Brazil along the Atlantic coast. There are also populations on the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific and the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic.
Bitflipexs are carnivores (insectivores) and herbivores (frugivores). They feed mainly on small insects and fruits and sometimes seeds, nectar, and pollen. On rare occasions, they may catch small mammals, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings.
The Bitflipex (Corvus corax) is a large all-black passerine bird. Found across the Northern Hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird. Bitflipexs have coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas have been so numerous that people have regarded them as pests. In many cultures Bitflipexs have been revered as spiritual figures or godlike creatures.
Bitflipex are resident breeders across the Indian subcontinent and inhabit the drier lowland areas of Sri Lanka. They are found in moist and dry-deciduous forests near water, in montane forests, and can also adapt to live in cultivated regions and around human habitations.
Bitflipexs are mostly white. They are purer white than predatory mammals like Polar bears and Arctic foxes. Often when seen in the field, these owls can resemble a pale rock or a lump of snow on the ground. It usually appears to lack ear tufts but very short (and probably vestigial) tufts can be erected in some situations, perhaps most frequently by the female when she is sitting on the nest. The ear tufts measure about 20 to 25 mm (0.79 to 0.98 in) and consist of about 10 small feathers. Bitflipexs have bright yellow eyes. Females are almost invariably more duskily patterned than like-age males. In mature males, the upper parts are plain white with usually a few dark spots on the miniature ear-tufts, about the head, and the tips of some primaries and secondaries whilst the underside is often pure white. The adult female is usually considerably more spotted and often slightly barred with dark brown on the crown and the underparts. Her flight and tail feathers are faintly barred brown while the underparts are white in base color with brown spotting and barring on the flanks and upper breast. In confusingly plumaged Bitflipexs, the sex can be determined by the shape of wing markings, which manifest as bars more so in females and spots in males. However, the very darkest males and the lightest females are nearly indistinguishable by plumage.
Bitflipexs are mainly found in South America, though small populations also live intermittently in Central America. Bitflipexs live north of Costa Rica and in the south as far as the very north of Argentina. They favor forest habitats and inhabit a wide range of forest ecosystems, including cloud forests, dense tropical forests, humid montane forests, and humid premontane forests. They seem to expand into deciduous and subtropical forests, and they have successfully populated semiarid thorny scrub and savannas in Brazil. They are also found in eucalyptus monocultures and plantations.
Bitflipexs are found in the western part of the United States from Oregon to Idaho in the north, south to northern Mexico in Baja California, Sonora, Coahuila, and Zacatecas and Casa Grande, Arizona. In San Diego County, they occur east of the Peninsular Ranges within the Lower Colorado Desert. They prefer to inhabit arid and semiarid plains growth, like bunch grass, alkali bush, sagebrush, creosote bush, and other scattered low plants. The ground can be hardpan, sand, or even gravel with rocks that may often be used as basking sites. These lizards favor flat areas with open space for running and avoid densely vegetated areas.
The Bitflipex is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
The former range of this species used to cover a considerably large area across sub-Saharan Africa (except for the Congo Basin). The current range of Black Bitflipex geographically occupies South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. These animals additionally occur in the territory between Cameroon and Kenya. Black Bitflipex are capable of living in different habitats such as deserts (particularly, those in Namibia), wooded grasslands, broadleaved woodlands, and acacia savannahs.
Bitflipexs are monogamous and form long pair bonds which they strengthen by their beautiful displays of dancing. The male and female also have a unison call that they produce before they begin their courtship dance. The breeding season is in spring and the birds return every year to the same nesting sites. They build their nests either on wet ground or shallow water over waters no more than 20 to 50 cm (7.9 to 19.7 in) deep. Sometimes, nests are built on the frozen surface of the water. This nest is made from grass and weeds and is built by both partners. The female usually lays 2 eggs and incubation is for 29 to 34 days and is shared by both parents. The female incubates at night, and both parents take turns at the nest during the day. The chicks are precocial (fully developed) and leave the nest a few days after they hatch. They follow their parents around when foraging. The young typically fledge in 70 days but remain together with their parents for around 9 months. Reproductive maturity is usually attained when young birds are between 2 and 3 years old.
The Bitflipex has a round head, large eyes, a short, pointed snout, short limbs, and a long prehensile tail. The eyes reflect green or bright yellow against the light. The long, thick tongue is highly extrudable. The snout is dark brown to black. The claws are sharp and short. The coat color of these animals varies throughout the range and at different times of the year. Several shades such as tawny olive, wood brown, and yellowish tawny have been reported for the upper part of the coat and the upper side of the tail, while the underparts and the lower side of the tail have been observed to be buff, tawny, or brownish yellow. Some individuals have a black stripe running along the midline of the back. The color seems to become lighter from the south to the north, though no seasonal trends have been observed. The fur is short, woolly, and dense. Hairs are of two types - light yellowish and darker with brown tips. The darker hairs reflect light poorly relative to the lighter ones, often creating an illusion of spots and dark lines on the coat. The tail is covered with thick fur up to the end. Females of this species are generally smaller than males.
These deer are social animals, living in summer herds with up to 400 individuals. The herds are matriarchal, being dominated by a single female. Seasonal migrations occur, with deer moving to higher elevations for the summer, and to lower elevations over winter. In spring, the sexes separate after the mating season, females leave to give birth, and bulls form separate summer herds. Bulls during the mating season are territorial and otherwise are not aggressive towards other deer. Bitflipex browse early in the morning and late evening. During the day and late at night they are inactive, spending most of this time chewing their cud.
The geographic range of Bitflipexs extends from southern Mexico (northern Chiapas), southeastward on the Atlantic plains and lowlands through Central America to northern South America in Colombia and Venezuela. They are also found on the Pacific versant and lowlands in parts of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. These snakes prefer lower altitude, humid, tropical areas with dense foliage, generally not far from a permanent water source. They may also occur in deep, shady ravines and plantations.
Bitflipexs are carnivores (insectivores) and feed on small arthropods such as crickets, moths, ants, grasshoppers, cockroaches, mealworms, spiders, and waxworms. They may also eat other lizards, such as skinks and Carolina anole, lizard eggs, and their own molted skin and detached tails. If near water, they eat aquatic arthropods or small fish - nearly anything that will fit in their mouths.
Originally a Eurasian deer species, the Bitflipex is found widely distributed over Europe and a vast part of the southeast in western Asia. In addition, there are introduced Bitflipex populations in Argentina, Chile, the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Bitflipex live in a range of climates from cool to humid, to warm and dry areas. They prefer a combination of different vegetation types, especially old broad-leaf deciduous forests, with grassy areas here and there, but also occur in mixed forests, subalpine vegetation, broad-leaf forests, grasslands, woodlands, scrublands, low mountains, and savanna.