Kipiri

Vipiri au vifutu ni spishi za nyoka wenye sumu katika familia Viperidae. Spishi nyingine huitwa bafe au moma pia.

Nyoka hawa sio warefu sana lakini wanene kwa kulinganisha na nyoka wengine na wana kichwa kipana kwa umbo wa pembetatu na mkia mfupi. Kwa kawaida magamba yao yana miinuko ambayo inaweza kuwa kama miiba. Miboni ya macho ni kama chanjo za wima ikiwa imefungwa kwa kiasi.

Waking'ata vipiri huingiza sumu katika mwili kupitia chonge mbili zenye mifereji. Mdomo ukiwa umefungwa chonge hizi zinalala kutegemea dari lake. Lakini iwapo kipiri akifungua mdomo chonge huduru mbele ili kudunga. Misuli inayofunga mdomo inakamua pia sumu kutoka tezi.

Vipiri sio wepesi sana na kwa hivyo wako hatari. Kwa sababu wana rangi za kamafleji hukaa bila kusogea hata kama adui anakaribia. Mtu anaweza kumkanyaga kipiri bila kumwona kisha kuumwa na kudungwa sumu. Lakini wakati mwingine kipiri anauma bila kuingiza sumu.

Sumu ya vipiri ina vimeng'enya vingi vinavyomeng'enya proteini (proteasi). Mchakato huu unasababisha maumivu makali, uvimbe na kuoza kwa tishu. Hata akipona mwathirika atakaa na kovu.

Spishi za Afrika ya Mashariki
 Adenorhinos barbouri, Kifutu wa Udzungwa (Udzungwa viper)
 Atheris acuminata, Kipiri-miti wa Kyambura (Acuminate bush viper)
 Atheris ceratophora, Kipiri-miti wa Usambara (Horned bush viperl)
 Atheris desaixi, Kipiri-miti wa Mlima Kenya (Mt. Kenya bush viper)
 Atheris hispida, Kipiri-miti miiba (Rough-scaled bush viper)
 Atheris matildae, Kipiri-miti wa Matilda (Matilda's bush viper)
 Atheris nitschei, Kipiri-miti wa Maziwa Makubwa (Great lakes bush viper)
 Atheris rungweensis, Kipiri-miti wa Rungwe (Mt. Rungwe bush viper)
 Atheris squamigera, Kipiri-miti magamba-kwaruza (Variable bush viper)
 Bitis arietans, Bafe au Moma (African puff adder)
 Bitis gabonica, Moma- au Kifutu-misitu (Gaboon viper)
 Bitis nasicornis, Moma-milima, Moma kifaru au Kifutu-milima (Rhinoceros viper)
 Bitis worthingtoni, Moma wa Kenya au Kifutu-pembe wa Kenya (Kenya horned viper)
 Causus bilineatus, Kipiri milia-miwili (Two-striped night adder)
 Causus defilippii, Kipiri pua-ndefu (Snouted night adder)
 Causus lichtensteinii, Kipiri-misitu (Forest night adder)
 Causus maculatus, Kipiri madoa (Spotted night adder)
 Causus resimus, Kipiri kijani (Green night adder)
 Causus rhombeatus, Kipiri usiku (Rhombic night adder)
 Echis pyramidum, Kifutu-jangwa (North-East African carpet viper)
 Montatheris hindii, Kipiri-milima wa Kenya (Kenya montane viper)
 Proatheris superciliaris, Kipiri-bao (Swamp viper)

Spishi za sehemu nyingine za Afrika
 Atheris anisolepis (Mayombe bush viper)
 Atheris broadleyi (Central African bush viper)
 Atheris chlorechis (West African bush viper)
 Atheris hirsuta (Tai Forest bush viper)
 Atheris katangensis (Katanga Mountain bush viper)
 Atheris mabuensis (Mt. Mabu bush viper)
 Atheris subocularis (Cameroon bush viper
 Bitis albanica (Albany adder)
 Bitis armata (Southern adder)
 Bitis atropos (Mountain adder)
 Bitis caudalis (Horned adder)
 Bitis cornuta (Many-horned adder)
 Bitis harenna (Dodola adder)
 Bitis heraldica (Angolan adder)
 Bitis inornata (Plain mountain adder)
 Bitis parviocula (Bale Mountains adder)
 Bitis peringueyi (Dwarf puff adder)
 Bitis rhinoceros (Rhinoceros adder)
 Bitis rubida (Red adder)
 Bitis schneideri (Namaqua puff adder)
 Bitis xeropaga (Desert mountain adder)
 Causus rasmusseni (Zambian night adder)
 Cerastes boehmei (Böhm's horned viper)
 Cerastes cerastes (Desert horned viper)
 Cerastes vipera (Sahara sand viper)
 Daboia mauritanica (Moorish viper)
 Echis coloratus (Palestine saw-scaled viper)
 Echis hughesi (Hughes's saw-scaled viper)
 Echis jogeri (Joger's saw-scaled viper)
 Echis leucogaster (Roman's saw-scaled viper)
 Echis megalocephalus (Large-headed carpet viper)
 Echis ocellatus (West African carpet viper)
 Macrovipera lebetina (Levantine viper)
 Pseudocerastes fieldi (Field's horned viper)
 Vipera latastei (Snub-nosed adder)
 Vipera monticola (Atlas Mountains viper)

Picha

Marejeo
 Spawls, S., Howell, K., Drewes, R. & Ashe, J. (2002) A field guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA.

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