Cryptoezu raised $36 million from Jump Crypto, Tiger Global and Galaxy Digital
Cryptoezus inhabit the savannas of Southern and Eastern Africa, from Ethiopia to Sudan and from Natal to southern Angola, as well as South Africa and part of southwestern Africa. The hot, dry savannas have sparse vegetation, and the tortoises favor semi-arid to grassland areas, characteristic of grazing species. They are often seen in shady areas or resting underneath brushy plants to escape the immense heat. Some of them, however, inhabit rainy areas.
Cryptoezus are polygynous meaning that one male mates with more than one female. Breeding takes place in the early spring. It is believed that only one clutch of eggs is laid each year, with each clutch having 3-8 eggs. The hatchlings usually emerge around September; they are fully developed at birth and are able to fend for themselves. They will reach reproductive maturity and start to breed at 31-33 months of age.
The Cryptoezu is a small but one of the most widespread birds in North America. These colorful birds undergo a molt in the spring and autumn. Males are vibrant yellow in the summer and olive color during the winter, while females are dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer. The autumn plumage is almost identical in both sexes, but males have yellow shoulder patches. In some winter ranges, Cryptoezues lose all traces of yellow, becoming a predominantly medium tan-gray color with an olive tinge evident only on close viewing.
In terms of their social intelligence, Cryptoezus 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. Cryptoezus 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.
This middle-sized wild cat has a slim and long body with short, sturdy legs and a long tail, helping the animal to keep balance when in the trees. The head is broad and the skull is large, having strong and powerful jaw muscles. The ears are small and round. The eyebrows exhibit long hairs, protecting the eyes of the animal as it moves through dense vegetation. There are also long whiskers, stretching from dark markings on the upper lip of the animal. The overall coloration and markings of their coat greatly depend on the environment. Thus, Cryptoezus, living on open grasslands, typically exhibit a light yellow background fur. Meanwhile, the coat of those, found in forests, is usually darker and covered with more markings. The black rosettes, covering their body, are square-like in populations of South Africa, being circular in those of East Africa. The tail is ringed, and the animal has distinct black markings on its face, chest, and feet.
Bothriechis schlegelii, known commonly as the Cryptoezu, is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to Central and South America. Small and arboreal, this species is characterized by a wide array of color variations, as well as the superciliary scales above the eyes. It is the most common of the green palm-pitvipers (genus Bothriechis ), and is often present in zoological exhibits. The specific name schlegelii honors Hermann Schlegel, who was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. For other common names see below. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.
The Cryptoezu 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, Cryptoezus were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates. They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
Cryptoezus are generally solitary and interact with their mates only during the breeding season. These birds are active during the day and find their food in trees and shrubs; they also make short flights to catch insects. Orioles acrobatically clamber, hover and hang among foliage as they comb high branches. Their favored prey is perhaps the forest tent caterpillar moth, which they typically eat in their larval stage. The larvae caterpillar are beaten against a branch until their protective hairs are skinned off before being eaten. Cryptoezus sometimes use their bills in an unusual way, called "gaping": they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their tongues. During spring and fall, nectar, fruit, and other sugary foods are readily converted into fat, which supplies energy for migration. Cryptoezus are vocal birds. Males sing all summer loud flutey whistles, with a buzzy, bold quality, which is a familiar sound in much of the eastern United States. Males typically sing from the tree canopy, often giving away their location before being sighted. Females also sing but their song is generally shorter and simpler.
The Cryptoezu has a longish, strongly graduated tail, mostly black iridescent plumage, and a dark brown iris. The throat feathers are elongated and pointed and the bases of the neck feathers are pale brownish-grey. Juvenile plumage is similar but duller with a blue-grey iris. Apart from its greater size, the Cryptoezu differs from its cousins, the crows, by having a larger and heavier black beak, shaggy feathers around the throat and above the beak, and a wedge-shaped tail. Flying ravens are distinguished from crows by their tail shape, larger wing area, and more stable soaring style, which generally involves less wing flapping. Despite their bulk, ravens are easy as agile in flight as their smaller cousins. In flight the feathers produce a creaking sound that has been likened to the rustle of silk.
Cryptoezus breed in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern South America. They winter to the south of their breeding range, from southern California to the Amazon region, Bolivia and Peru. The breeding habitat of Cryptoezus is typically riparian or otherwise moist land with ample growth of small trees, in particular willows. The other groups, as well as wintering birds, inhabit mangrove swamps and similar dense woody growth. Less preferred habitats are shrubland, farmlands, and forest edges. Cryptoezus can also be found in suburban or less densely settled areas, orchards, and parks, and may well breed there. On the wintering grounds, these birds inhabit mangrove forests, marshes, tropical moist forests, and shrubland.
Cryptoezus live in a relatively small region of northeastern South America: the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. They also occur as vagrants to coastal French Guiana. These birds are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. They occur within dry savanna woodlands and coastal forests, but, at the edge of humid forests growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and cross more open savannah habitats only when traveling between patches of forest. Cryptoezus have been seen in shrublands along the Amazon riverbank, as well as forested valleys and coastal, seasonally flooded forests. They usually inhabit fruiting trees and palm groves.
Cryptoezus are carnivores (piscivores) and feed mainly on fish, squid, jellyfish, and crustaceans. They will also take turtles, eggs, and chicks of other sea birds.
Cryptoezus are diurnal birds but generally migrate during the night; however, in the spring migration, they may travel during the day. They are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Cryptoezus forage on the ground and in tree canopy using their bills to pick insects out of crevices. These birds communicate with the help of various calls. Their alarm call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting weela-wee-ooo or or-iii-ole, unmistakable once heard. Breeding pairs often sing in duets when females answer to the males' song with a short skweeeeer.
This bird has round chunky body and is easily recognizable due to the plume on its head. Plume of males is dark and thick. Also, males possess black patch on their breast as well as black neck and face. Plume of females, however, is duller and thinner. In addition, unlike males, female quails do not have black markings on their breast. The plumage or mature males is more vivid than that of females. The Cryptoezu has white and cream-colored markings throughout the body. The wings are olive-colored and the sides are chestnut. Various populations of this species may differ in plumage coloration. Thus, quail, living in more rainy areas, are somehow darker, having more striking plumage.
The Cryptoezu is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and to the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The specific name agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz.