Green tree python
녹색나무비단뱀
The green tree python lives in the rainforests of New Guinea and northern Australia. Adults are bright green and rest coiled over a branch with the head in the middle; hatchlings are yellow or red and turn green as they grow.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Class
- Reptiles
- Lives in
- New Guinea and Cape York, Australia
- Diet
- Meat eater (carnivore)
- Length
- about 1.5 m
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN LC)
- Habitat
- rainforests
Quick answers
Where does the Green tree python live?
It lives in rainforests. On the globe you can find it near New Guinea and Cape York, Australia.
How big is the Green tree python?
It grows to about 1.5 m.
What does the Green tree python eat?
Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).
Is the Green tree python endangered?
It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).
The green tree python is a bright green snake that lives in trees in the rainforests of New Guinea, some Indonesian islands and Cape York in northern Australia. It is slim, with a large head and a long tail, and grows to about 1.5 metres, up to 2 metres in big females.
It spends the day coiled over a branch with its head resting in the middle of the loops. At night it hunts small reptiles and mammals. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. It rests during the day and is active at night, so people rarely see it hunting.
From yellow to green
Baby green tree pythons are not green. They hatch bright yellow, red or brown and slowly turn green as they grow up.
Scientists think the colour change helps them blend in with the leaves of the rainforest canopy as they start to hunt in trees. It was first described by the German naturalist Hermann Schlegel in 1872. Young snakes may hold some colour for months before they are fully green.
A popular pet with a problem
Its bright colour has made the green tree python a favourite pet. In Indonesia, large numbers of wild snakes have been smuggled out to sell, and this has hurt wild populations.
The snake has a body shaped like a triangle in cross-section and a ridge along its back, which helps it grip branches as it moves through the trees. Females are slightly larger and heavier than males.
Fun facts
- Babies are bright yellow, red or brown and only turn green as they grow up.
- Babies are yellow, red or brown, not green.
- Adults rest coiled on a branch with the head in the middle.
- Its tail makes up about 14 per cent of its length.
On the globe
The globe places the green tree python in New Guinea and Cape York. Look for the coil of bright green over a branch.
Quiz time
Which is longer: Green tree python or Saltwater crocodile?
Show the answer
Saltwater crocodile. (1.5 m vs 3.6 m) Saltwater crocodile →
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Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14