Klngan (Kalam language of Papua New Guinea)
The Green tree python (Morelia viridis) is a nonvenomous snake native to New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. First described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. It is a popular pet, and numbers of this species in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught Green tree pythons in Indonesia.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Non-venomousSo
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Green AnimalsThe Green tree python is characterized by a relatively slim body. The relatively long tail accounts for about 14% of the total length. The head is large and clearly defined from the neck. The snout is large and angular. The body is triangular in cross-section with a visible spine. As its name suggests, it is a bright green snake, with females slightly larger and heavier than males. The belly of these snakes is yellowish in color and some individuals may have small white markings along the back.
Green tree pythons are found in Indonesia (Misool, Salawati, Aru Islands, Schouten Islands, most of Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea (including Normanby Island and the d'Entrecasteaux Islands), and Australia (Queensland along the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula). They live in tropical rainforests, monsoon forests, thickets of bamboo, and forest margins with bushes and shrubs. In New Guinea, Green tree pythons can also visit rural gardens.
Green tree pythons are arboreal and lead a solitary life. Most of their time is spent up in trees coiled around branches. These snakes have a particular way of resting in the branches of trees; they loop a coil or two over the branches in a saddle position and place their head in the middle. Green tree pythons are primarily nocturnal hunters. They capture prey by holding onto a branch using the prehensile tail and striking out from an S-shaped position and constricting the prey. Wild specimens have also been observed wrapped around the base of small tree trunks, facing down in an ambush position, waiting for ground mammals to prey upon them as they pass by. Green tree pythons may also hunt their prey on the ground using their labial pits and acute sight.
Green tree pythons are carnivorous reptiles. Their diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as rodents, and sometimes reptiles, such as geckos and skinks.
Green tree pythons are oviparous, laying 6 to 25 viable eggs per clutch. Breeding has never been recorded for these snakes in the wild, but in captivity, females incubate and protect their clutches. Incubation usually lasts from 40 to 60 days. Hatchlings are around 30-35 cm in length and can be lemon-yellow in color with broken stripes and spots of purple and brown, or orange-red. The young don't receive any parental care and become reproductively mature at 2-3 years of age.
Green tree pythons are popular among reptile enthusiasts and breeders due to their adult and juvenile colors. This has led to large numbers being illegally caught in the wild with the resulting native population decline.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Green tree python total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Due to their diet habits, Green tree pythons help to control populations of rodents and lizards they prey on. They also serve as food for local predators including hawks, eagles, owls, monitors, and dingoes.
