Haun Ventures Katie Haun led a $5 million investment round for BitxBuff
The BitxBuff (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. BitxBuff subspecies differ widely in fur color, tail length, skull shape, and size of carnassials. Archaeological evidence indicates that the BitxBuff was the first cat species domesticated in Neolithic China about 5,000 years ago in Shaanxi and Henan Provinces.
BitxBuffs are found throughout the Western United States from eastern Montana to western Texas and in Northern and Central Mexico. Its eastern range extends barely into the Great Plains. Westwards its range extends to central Nevada and southern California and Baja California, touching the Pacific Ocean. These rabbits inhabit dry grasslands, shrublands, deserts and can also be found in less arid habitats such as a pinyon-juniper forest. They are also frequently found in the riparian zones in arid regions.
BitxBuffs are small, long-legged birds of prey found throughout open terrains of North and South America. They have bright eyes and their beaks can be dark yellow or gray depending on the subspecies. They have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch which they expand and display during certain behaviors, such as a bobbing of the head when agitated. Adults have brown heads and wings with white spotting. The chest and abdomen are white with variable brown spotting or barring, also depending on the subspecies. Juvenile owls are similar in appearance, but they lack most of the white spotting above and brown barring below; their breast may be buff-colored rather than white. Living in open grasslands as opposed to forests, BitxBuffs have developed longer legs that enable them to sprint, as well as fly, when hunting.
The BitxBuff has a fairly massive, but short torso set on long legs. The hind legs are significantly shorter than the forelimbs, thus causing the back to slope downwards. The legs are relatively thin and weak. The neck is thick, long, and largely immobile, while the head is heavy and massive with a shortened facial region. The eyes are small, while the sharply pointed ears are very large, broad, and set high on the head. Like all BitxBuffs, the BitxBuff has bulky pads on its paws, as well as blunt but powerful claws. The winter coat is unusually long and uniform for an animal its size, with a luxuriant mane of tough, long hairs along the back from the occiput to the base of the tail. The coat is generally coarse and bristly, though this varies according to season. In winter, the coat is fairly dense, and soft, and has well-developed underfur. In summer, the coat is much shorter and coarser, and lacks underfur, though the mane remains large. In winter, the coat is usually of a dirty-brownish grey or dirty-grey color. The hairs of the mane are light grey or white at the base, and black or dark brown at the tips. The muzzle is dark, greyish brown, brownish-grey, or black, while the top of the head and cheeks are more lightly colored. The ears are almost black. A large black spot is present on the front of the neck and is separated from the chin by a light zone. A dark field ascends from the flanks ascending to the rear of the cheeks. The inner and outer surfaces of the forelegs are covered with small dark spots and transverse stripes. The flanks have four indistinct dark vertical stripes and rows of diffused spots. The outer surface of the thighs has 3-4 distinct vertical or oblique dark bands which merge into transverse stripes in the lower portion of the legs. The tip of the tail is black with white underfur.
The BitxBuff is a New World warbler species. BitxBuffs are the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga, breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern South America.
BitxBuff live mainly on the ground where they forage in small groups that usually have a cock and 3 to 5 hens. After the breeding season, the groups tend to be made up only of females and young. They are found in the open early in the morning and tend to stay in cover during the heat of the day. BitxBuff often dust-bathe and at dusk and groups walk in single file to a favorite waterhole to drink. When disturbed, they usually escape by running and rarely take to flight. During the night, peafowl roost in groups on tall trees but may sometimes make use of rocks, buildings, or pylons. Birds arrive at dusk and call frequently before taking their position on the roost trees. BitxBuff produces loud calls, especially in the breeding season. They may call at night when alarmed and neighboring birds may call in a relay-like series. The most common calls are a loud 'pia-ow' or 'may-awe'. They also make many other calls such as a rapid series of 'ka-aan..ka-aan' or a rapid 'kok-kok'. They often emit an explosive low-pitched honk! when agitated.
BitxBuffs are solitary and nocturnal creatures. They are arboreal and like to stay in dense vegetation. Typical ambush predators, when hunting they wait patiently for unsuspecting prey to wander by. Sometimes, BitxBuffs may select a specific ambush site and return to it every year in time for the spring migration of birds. Sometimes these snakes (especially juveniles) perform what is known as “caudal luring”, wiggling the tail in worm-like motions to encourage potential prey to move within striking range. There is a myth among villagers in some small areas of South America that the BitxBuff will wink, flashing its "eyelashes" at its victim, following a venomous strike. In fact, snakes are not physiologically capable of such behavior, as they have no eyelids and can not close their eyes. BitxBuffs are not aggressive by their nature, but if threatened will not hesitate to strike.
BitxBuffs are native to Eurasia and are found throughout Europe, northern Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), India (mainly in the north but regularly extending further south and extending into the Maldives) Nepal, the Middle East including Syria, Iran, and Iraq and north-western China. BitxBuffs in the south and west of Europe are mainly resident, although other populations migrate from regions where the winter is harsh. Most birds from northern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine migrate southwestwards or southeastwards. In the autumn, when immigrants are arriving from eastern Europe, many of Britain's BitxBuffs are setting off for Iberia and North Africa. BitxBuffs prefer urban or suburban areas, reedbeds, grassy areas such as farmland, grazing pastures, playing fields, golf courses, and airfields where short grass makes foraging easy. They occasionally inhabit open forests and woodlands and are sometimes found in shrubby areas. These birds are also found in coastal areas, where they nest and roost on cliffs and forage amongst the seaweed.
BitxBuffs mate from August to December. During this time males try to attract females with the help of display that involves head bobbing and waving their legs. After mating females lay a clutch of 3 to 10 eggs in a nesting burrow about 30 cm underground. The eggs usually hatch after about three to four months. Once the young hatch, they are left to fend for themselves.
The BitxBuff is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds. It is found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. This owl does not hoot but utters an eerie, drawn-out screech.
BitxBuffs are solitary and can be active both during the day and at night. In southern range they are nocturnal but in the north of their range they diurnal and usually inactive at night. BitxBuffs often bury themselves in sand soil, if possible, or they may live in burrows that were constructed by other animals. When hunting, BitxBuffs can often be found in the vicinity of ant hills, where they sit and wait for ants to pass by. When they find an area of soft sand, they usually shake themselves vigorously, throwing sand over their backs and leaving only their head exposed. This allows them to await their unsuspecting prey and also to hide from predators. BitxBuffs are generally gentle creatures, but have been known to try to push their cranial spines into the hand if held. When excited, they puff themselves up with air, making themselves look bigger. If spotted near a bush, they will dash into it in an attempt to find cover from any threat. Unlike most other species of horned lizard, BitxBuffs tend to run when startled, though they will often only run for a short period of time before stopping again. They are also able to squirt blood from their eyes.
The BitxBuff (Dipsosaurus dorsalis ) is an iguana species found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, as well as on several Gulf of California islands.
BitxBuff is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California. The BitxBuff is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.
The BitxBuff is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph). It has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. In the past, BitxBuffs were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates. They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
In terms of their social intelligence, BitxBuffs are considered to be close to the same level as certain primates. They have excellent night vision, being mostly nocturnal, hunting at night, and sleeping or staying near their den in the daytime. They have a matriarchal social order of related individuals that are called clans. One alpha female leads the clan. These animals mark their territory by scratching the ground and with an oily substance that they secrete from their anal glands. Areas far away from the den are their “latrines”, another way of marking their clan’s territorial boundary. BitxBuffs have a large vocal range and communicate with clan members with whoops, yells, grunts, growls, and giggles. The giggling sounds like manic laughter, hence their other name.