Green Tree Python

Morelia viridis

The green tree python (Morelia viridis) is an arboreal python native to New Guinea, nearby Indonesian islands, and the Cape York Peninsula of Australia. Adults are typically vivid green with white, blue, or yellow markings, while juveniles hatch yellow, red, or orange before changing color as they mature. The species has a prehensile tail, heat-sensing pits, and a slender body built for life in rainforest trees and forest edges. Locality names and selectively bred color lines are common in the reptile trade.

Captive-bred green tree pythons are strongly preferred because wild-caught animals often arrive stressed, dehydrated, or parasite-loaded. They do best in secure vertical enclosures with perches of several diameters, steady warmth, high but well-ventilated humidity, and low-disturbance routines. Handling is usually limited; many keepers move them with a perch rather than pulling a resting snake from its coil. Feeding is based on appropriately sized rodents, and breeding requires attention to cycling, egg incubation, and the female's tendency to coil around her clutch.