Koypu
Koypu (Myocastor coypus)
Koypu (Myocastor coypus)
Uainishaji wa kisayansi
Himaya: Animalia (Wanyama)
Faila: Chordata (Wanyama wenye ugwe wa neva mgongoni)
Ngeli: Mammalia (Wanyama wenye viwele wanaonyonyesha wadogo wao)
Oda: Rodentia (Wagugunaji)
Nusuoda: Hystricomorpha (Wanyama kama nungunungu)
Familia: Myocastoridae (Koypu)
Jenasi: Myocastor
Kerr, 1792
Spishi: M. coypus
(Molina, 1782)

Koypu (kutoka Kimapuche: koypu) au panya-mito (kutoka Kiingereza: river rat) ni mnyama mgugunaji mkubwa kiasi na spishi pekee ya familia Myocastoridae. Kinyume na jina lake “panya-mito” mnyama huyu si panya wa kweli, kwa sababu panya ni wana wa familia Muridae. Koypu wanatokea Amerika ya Kusini kwa asili lakini wamewasilishwa sasa katika Amerika ya Kaskazini, Ulaya, Asia na Afrika, na wafugaji wa wanyama-sufu hasa. Sikuhizi Kenya ni nchi pekee katika Afrika ambapo wanaendelea kuishi porini. Hata kama wanaendelea kutathminiwa kwa ajili ya sufu yao, katika nchi nyingi wanafikiriwa kama spishi mvamizi kwa sababu ya mwenendo wake mharibifu wa kula na kuchimba.

Koypu anafanana na biva mdogo lakini mkia wake si mpana. Urefu wake ni sm 40-60 na mkia wa sm 30-45. Uzito ni kg 5-9. Wana meno ya mbele makubwa yenye rangi ya machungwa. Manyoya yake ni mazito na magumu yenye rangi ya kahawia lakini malaika yake meupe ni laini. Ana doa jeupe puani. Miguu ya nyuma ina ngozi kati ya vidole. Chuchu za jike zipo mbavuni ili kunyonyesha watoto wakati jike yupo majini. Wanyama hawa huishi katika matundu kando ya maji na hula mimea ya maji. Humeza chakula sawa na 25% ya uzito wao lakini hupoteza takriban 90% ya uoto wakila[1].

Marejeo

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  1. Grace, James B.; Marx, B.D.; Taylor K.L. The effects of herbivory on neighbor interactions along a coastal marsh gradient. American Journal of Botany, Volume 84, Number 5 (Mei 1997), pp. 709-715.

Soma pia

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  • Sandro Bertolino, Aurelio Perrone, and Laura Gola (2005) Effectiveness of coypu control in small Italian wetland areas. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33 (2): 714–72.
  • Carter, Jacoby and Billy P. Leonard (2002) A Review of the Literature on the Worldwide Distribution, Spread of, and Efforts to Eradicate the Coypu (Myocastor coypus). Wildlife Society Bulletin 30 (1): 162–175.
  • Carter, J., A.L. Foote, and L.A. Johnson-Randall (1999) Modeling the effects of nutria (Myocastor coypus) on wetland loss. Wetlands 19(1): 209-219.
  • Lauren E. Nolfo-Clements (2006) Seasonal variations in habitat availability, habitat selection, and movement patterns of Myocastor coypus on a subtropical freshwater floating marsh. (Dissertation) Tulane University. New Orleans. ISBN 0-542-60916-9
  • Sheffels, Trevor and Mark Systma (2007) Report on Nutria Management and Research in the Pacific Northwest Center for Lakes and Reservoir Environmental Sciences and Resources, Portland State University. Available on-line: [1] Archived 5 Juni 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

Viungo vya nje

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