Chata

Chata ni nyoka wasio na sumu wa jenasi Boaedon na Lamprophis katika familia Lamprophiidae.

Nyoka hawa ni warefu kiasi, sm 150 kwa kipeo lakini kwa wastani majike ni sm 60-100 na madume sm 40-70. Wana mkia mrefu kiasi, kichwa kwa umbo wa pembetatu na mboni za wima. Rangi yao ni kahawia, kahawianyekundu, kijivu au nyeusi. Kuna milia miwili myeupe pande mbili za kichwa na milia hii inaweza kuendelea mpaka mkia.

Chata hupumzika mchana katika vishimo au chini ya miamba, magogo au takataka. Huwinda usiku na hukamata panya hasa lakini ndege, mijusi na vyura pia. Waama, nyoka hawa ni muhimu sana kwa sababu wanasaidia watu kwa kuwaua wagugunaji wengi.

Nyoka hawa hawana sumu lakini spishi kadhaa hung'ata na kusababisha vidonda. Kwa kawaida huwa wanyama-vipenzi katika muda mfupi.

Spishi
 Boaedon capensis, Chata Kusi (Cape house snake)
 Boaedon fuliginosus, Chata Kahawia (Brown house snake)
 Boaedon lineatus, Chata Milia (Striped house snake)
 Boaedon littoralis, Chata wa Kongo-pwani (Coastal house snake)
 Boaedon longilineatus, Chata Mistari (Long-lined house snake)
 Boaedon maculatus, Chata Somali (Dotted house snake)
 Boaedon olivaceus, Chata Zeituni (Olive house snake)
 Boaedon paralineatus, Chata wa Afrika ya Kati (Central African house snake)
 Boaedon perisilvestris, Chata-savana (Savanna house snake)
 Boaedon radfordi, Chata wa Radford (Radford's house snake)
 Boaedon subflavus, Chata Njano (Yellow house snake)
 Boaedon upembae, Chata-maji (Lined water snake)
 Boaedon virgatus, Chata Tumbo-jeusi (Dark-bellied house snake)
 Lamprophis abyssinicus, Chata Habeshi (Ethiopian house snake)
 Lamprophis aurora, Chata Aurora (Aurora house snake)
 Lamprophis erlangeri, Chata wa Erlanger (Erlanger's house snake)
 Lamprophis fiskii, Chata wa Fisk (Fisk's house snake)
 Lamprophis fuscus, Chata Tumbo-njano (Yellow house snake)
 Lamprophis geometricus, Chata wa Shelisheli (Seychelles house snake)
 Lamprophis guttatus, Chata Madoa (Spotted house snake)

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.

Viungo vya nje
 Hazinadata ya watambaachi

Jamii:Nyoka