Green tree python facts for kids

Morelia viridis, also known as the green tree python, is a beautiful snake found in the rainforests of New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. These amazing snakes are famous for their bright green color and how they live high up in the trees.

Meet the Green Tree Python

The green tree python is a type of python, which means it's a non-venomous snake that squeezes its prey. It can grow to be about 1.5 to 1.8 meters (5 to 6 feet) long. They have a slender body and a head that is much wider than their neck. This shape helps them hide and ambush their prey among the branches.

Why Are They Green?

Most green tree pythons are a bright emerald green, which helps them blend in perfectly with the leaves of the rainforest. This is called camouflage, and it helps them hide from both predators and the animals they hunt. However, some green tree pythons can also be yellowish or even bluish.

Baby Snakes: A Colorful Surprise

When green tree pythons are born, they aren't green at all! Young snakes, called juveniles, are usually bright yellow, orange, or reddish-brown. As they grow older, usually around 6 to 12 months of age, their color slowly changes to the famous green. This color change helps them adapt to their changing environment as they grow from small, ground-dwelling babies to tree-living adults.

Where Do They Live?

Green tree pythons are found in tropical rainforests. They spend almost their entire lives in trees, rarely coming down to the ground. They are experts at moving through the branches, using their strong, prehensile tail to grip onto branches.

Rainforest Homes

Their natural home includes the lush, wet forests of New Guinea, including both the country of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian part of the island. They also live on several nearby islands, like the Aru Islands and the Solomon Islands. In Australia, they are found only in the very northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland.

What Do Green Tree Pythons Eat?

Green tree pythons are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. They are ambush predators, which means they wait patiently for their prey to come close.

Hunting Habits

These snakes mostly hunt at night. They hang from branches, often in an S-shape, ready to strike. Their diet mainly consists of small mammals, like rodents, and birds. They might also eat small lizards or frogs if they get the chance. Once they catch their prey, they coil around it and squeeze until it stops breathing, then swallow it whole.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

Green tree pythons are oviparous, which means the females lay eggs.

Laying Eggs

After mating, a female green tree python will lay a clutch of about 6 to 30 eggs. She carefully coils around her eggs to protect them and keep them warm until they hatch. This incubation period usually lasts about 45 to 60 days. The mother snake does not eat during this time, focusing all her energy on protecting her future babies.

Hatching and Growing Up

When the baby snakes hatch, they are very small and vulnerable. As mentioned, they are usually yellow, orange, or reddish-brown. They quickly learn to hunt on their own. As they grow, they shed their skin several times. Each time they shed, they get a little bigger, and eventually, their color changes to green, marking their transition to adulthood.

Conservation Status

Currently, the green tree python is not considered an endangered species. However, like many rainforest animals, their habitat is threatened by deforestation and human activity. Protecting their rainforest homes is important for their survival and the survival of many other unique species.

Images for kids

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  Juvenile

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  Maroon M. viridis neonate

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  M. viridis

See also

In Spanish: Pitón arborícola verde para niños