What is a green tree python?
The green tree python is a bright green snake found in the rainforests of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, as well as New Guinea. It is non-venomous and spends most of its life in trees.
Adults are vivid green, often with white or blue spots along the back. Young green tree pythons are born bright yellow or red and change to green as they grow, usually within their first two years.
They rest coiled over branches in a distinctive saddle shape, with their head in the centre. At night they hunt small mammals and birds, gripping branches with their prehensile tails.
Protected species
In Australia, green tree pythons are found only in rainforests of the Iron Range and McIlwraith Range on Cape York. Illegal collection for the pet trade is a threat.
Like other pythons, they have heat-sensing pits along their lips.
Females coil around their eggs to protect them and can shiver their muscles to raise the temperature of the clutch. In captivity they are popular with reptile keepers, but in Australia keeping one requires a licence, and wild collection is illegal. Recent genetic studies suggest that green tree pythons may include more than one species across their range.
Did You Know?
The green tree python looks very similar to the emerald tree boa of South America, a classic example of convergent evolution.