The green tree python is a beautiful reptile that is an awesome snake to observe in the wild AND keep as a display snake. The way they coil themselves around branches is one of the things that is most recognizable about them! Keep reading to find out more about this gorgeous python!
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Quick Facts
Scientific Name: Morelia viridis
Common Names: Green Tree Python, Green Python
Geographic Range: Australia (Queensland), Indonesia (Papua, Maluku), Papua New Guinea
Life Span: 20 Years in Captivity
15 Years in Wild
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Top 10 List – Green Tree Python
1. Green Tree Pythons Are Primarily Solitary Animals
The green tree python is a solitary snake that spends the majority of its time in the trees alone. However, they have been known to hang out on the forest floor/in bushes on occasion. Their prehensile tail helps them move through the trees, as well as anchor them to various branches. They tend to be shy and afraid of humans, however will not hesitate to bite if they feel threatened. While green tree pythons aren’t venomous, a bite from their 100 plus teeth will still be pretty painful.
2. Despite Being Classed as Least Concern They Still Have Threats To Their Population
While the IUCN lists the green tree python as least concern, the population is still under threat for various reasons. The main two reasons are habitat loss from logging, and the collection of the wild population to sell in the pet trade. There is also a small market for their meat and skin. Due to these threats CITES has listed the green tree python on Appendix II. This means that the import, export, and trade of wild-caught green tree pythons is illegal. However, there is still a lot of illegal smuggling that goes on despite the law protecting them.
3. Female Green Tree Pythons Will Stay With Their Eggs Until They Hatch
The only time green tree pythons will get anywhere near another green tree python is during mating season, which is thought to be late fall/early winter. The females will not eat during their gestational period, which can last from 70 – 90 days, which is a long time without food! After the gestational period, the female will lay anywhere from 5-35 eggs, and will then coil around the eggs to protect and incubate them. They have a unique way of “shivering” their body in order to produce heat and keep the eggs warm. This is unique as most snakes do not protect or watch their eggs once they’ve been laid. After 45 – 56 days the eggs will hatch and out pop some beautiful hatchling snakes.
Green tree pythons actually emerge from their eggs as a bright yellow, or red/red-brown. They don’t develop bright green or adult colors until 6-12 months of age. The different colors help the babies camouflage as green is good for hiding in the trees, but the reds and yellows of the babies help them camouflage better on branches closer to the forest floor, which is where they prefer to spend their time.
4. They Are Well Known For The Unique Way They Sit On Branches
One of the things that the green tree python is known for, is for the unique way they coil around tree branches. They will loop and coil their body one or two times around a branch and then rest their heads in the middle. They use their tails to help anchor them onto the branch and keep them in place. The way they loop their body makes them resemble a saddle.
5. Can Mainly Be Found In Tropical Rainforests
Since they are arboreal and spend most of their time in the trees green tree pythons mainly prefer to hang out in tropical rainforests with thick plants, trees, and bushes, as well as high humidity. The second most common places they can be found in secondary forests and gardens.
6. Green Tree Pythons Are Well Known For Their Bright Green Coloring
Since they are called green tree pythons, it’s no surprise that the most common color they are found is green. However, depending on the locality, they can come in various colors and patterns. Green tree pythons have a fairly slim body, with quite a long tail – their tail takes up 14% of their total length! On average they will vary in length from 4.9 – 5.9 feet. However, the females are slightly larger than the males and some have even been recorded growing to 6.6 feet. Males weigh between 2.4 – 3.1 pounds, and females can weigh up to 3.5 pounds.
7. They Are Very Strategic Hunters
Green tree pythons are very strategic and talented hunters. They have good eyesight, as well as heat pits along their nose that help them sense the body heat of their prey. They may also wiggle their tail like a lure to entice curious critters to come closer to inspect it. Once close enough they can grab their prey and constrict it, as they have no venom to paralyze their food. Young green tree pythons are diurnal and hunt for smaller mammals and reptiles during the day, while adults are nocturnal and search for larger mammals and reptiles that can be found at night.
8. They Are A Very Popular Species In The Pet Trade
While green tree pythons are popular in the pet trade due to their beautiful colors and the cool way they coil around branches, they are not the most beginner-friendly snake and are considered an advanced species to keep. They also prefer to not be held and are better as a display species that is pretty to look at. However, with the proper care and set up they can thrive and live a long time in captivity.
While it is illegal to smuggle green tree pythons from the wild as pets, it is still a common occurrence. A large number of green tree pythons taken from the wild die in transit, as they are a very delicate species. As well as many wild-caught snakes may have parasites or illnesses that need to be treated. This is why it is super important to find a good, reputable captive breeder if you want to purchase one for your own as a pet.
9. Despite Their Name, Not All Green Tree Pythons Are Green
While one of the most common and well-known colors for them is their signature bright green, green tree pythons actually can come in a beautiful array of colors. The two pictured above just being a small example of the MANY beautiful colors and localities available for sale. Blues, reds, oranges, yellows, albinos, and calico patterns are only a fraction of what’s available out there!
If you want to see even more cool colors, we recommend you check out our article here where we show you 9 more unique colors of the green tree python!
10. Often Mistaken For An Emerald Tree Boa, and Vice Versa
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Green tree pythons and emerald tree boas are very similar snakes in appearance and behavior. Both of these snakes are a brilliant green, coil up on tree branches, and both live in similarly tropical forest habitats. However, these snakes do not live near each other, nor are they closely related. This is why it can be difficult to tell the two apart in photos, as opposed to seeing them in the wild where the two live in different areas. Green tree pythons are pythons and lay eggs, while the emerald tree boa are boas, and give birth to live young. This occurrence where two species from different areas end up being extremely similar is called parallel evolution.
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