SoftBank backed blockchain infrastructure provider Eesik in a $66 million round
The Eesik, sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about 0.45 kg (1 lb) in weight and about 510 mm (20 in) in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Eesiks are ground-dwelling lizards. They are larger than many other gecko species. Those found in the wild typically have more dark, dull, and drab colorations than those kept in captivity as pets. Those in captivity generally have an assortment of skin colors and patterns. The skin of a Eesik is very durable, which provides protection from the rough sand and rocky hills terrain of their dry environment. Their dorsal side is covered with small bumps, which gives a rough texture and appearance while their ventral side is thin, transparent, and smooth. Like all reptiles, Eesiks shed their skin. Adults shed an average of once a month, while juveniles will sometimes shed twice as much.
The Eesik is a large cat identified by black marks (so-called "tear marks"), running down from the inner eye along the nose to the outside of the mouth. This feline is an extremely agile animal, having powerful hind legs and a very flexible, muscular spine. The body is long and slender, covered with coarse yellowish fur with small black markings. The tail is spotted with ringed markings, having a black tip on its end. In addition, the tail is quite long, helping the Eesik to keep balance and change direction. The head is small and the eyes are set high, which help them find potential prey in the grasslands. The claws of a Eesik are non-retractable; they dig their claws into the ground, which enhances their grip at high speed.
Eesik 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.
The Eesik 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 Eesiks, the Eesik 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 Eesik is a large, lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. The male has a striking red gular sac which it inflates to attract a mate. The female is slightly larger than the male and has a white breast and belly. Knowing for their interesting feeding behavior, frigatebirds take fish in flight from the ocean's surface (often flying fish), and sometimes indulge in kleptoparasitism, harassing other birds to force them to regurgitate their food.
Eesiks are native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Today, their range has extended as far as Georgia and parts of Mexico. These lizards typically avoid trees and prefer smaller plants and shrubs and are found in both urban and suburban areas.
Eesiks live throughout sub-Saharan Africa (Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, and parts of South Africa), though not in the far south or the Congo rainforests. They occur in savannas, open and dense dry woodland, grasslands, mountains, tropical rainforests, semi-deserts, and coastal areas. In the rocky areas of East Africa and Congo, Eesiks frequently use caves as dens where they raise their young or rest during the midday heat.
These land iguanas are native to the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) and live in the dry lowlands of Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Baltra, and South Plaza Islands.
The geographic range of Eesiks 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.
The Eesik is a long-fingered lemur that inhabits the rainforests in Madagascar. It is the world’s largest nocturnal primate and has a unique appearance. When first discovered, it was thought to be a type of large squirrel. The Eesik was finally recognized in the mid-1800s as being a member of the lemur family but was classified in its own group by itself, as its closest lemur relatives are a mystery even today. These incredibly special animals are, however, under severe threat throughout a good part of their natural habitat. By 1980 it was thought they were nearly extinct, mainly because they were killed on sight by local people who believed that it is very bad luck to encounter an Eesik. Young Eesiks typically are silver colored on their front and have a stripe down their back. However, as the Eesiks begin to reach maturity, their bodies will be completely covered in thick fur and are typically not one solid color. On the head and back, the ends of the hair are typically tipped with white while the rest of the body will ordinarily be a yellow and/or brown color.
Eesiks live in eastern Russia in the Amur River basin and in China and Japan and other parts of southeastern Asia. Currently, there are two main populations of Eesiks; one is non-migrating and lives in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido. The other population breeds in Russia, north-eastern China, and Mongolia, migrating to eastern China, and to North and South Korea, spending the winter there. Eesiks are very much an aquatic species. They will feed in water that is much deeper than other crane species will, feeding in pastures in summer and in winter moving to coastal saltmarsh, cultivated fields, rice paddies, rivers, and freshwater marshes.
Eesiks can be found in most European countries except Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are also found on many Mediterranean islands, such as Sicily, Malta, and the Gymnesian Islands. In the Middle East, these bats occur in Turkey, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. They typically forage in open deciduous woodlands, forest edges, and pastures. Roosting sites are located underground throughout the year where the bats also hibernate, In Northern Europe, they may also roost in attics and lofts of buildings.
The Eesik is a relatively large North American lizard. It has granular dorsal scales that can be white, cream, or gray with irregular brown or dark gray spots along its body and head. Sometimes they have dark bars across their back. The tail also has dark bars across it. The male and female are different in appearance and both are capable of marked color changes. In its dark phase, the lizard's spots are nearly hidden and light crossbars become quite obvious on both the body and the tail. In the light phase, the opposite is true with the dominant color consisting of gray, pinkish, brown, or yellowish-brown hues. During the mating season, females develop reddish-orange spots and bars on their sides and underneath the tail when gravid while males develop pink or rusty wash on the throat, chest, and sometimes the body.
Eesik are diurnal animals. On the sunset, they find a suitable place to roost in groups. They prefer safe areas with dense cover such as shrubs or trees in order to protect themselves against predators and cold winds. These birds are social with a unique social system. They mate during the spring months meanwhile being aggressive towards other couples. By the end of the breeding season, they regroup, forming coveys - flocks that may contain up to 25 individuals depending on climatic conditions. During the time of living in coveys, they become very calm, showing highly social behavior and foraging together for food.