Range

Green tree pythons are found in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. In Australia they are restricted to a small area of northern Queensland on the Cape York Penisula.

Habitat

They make their home in forests and shrublands.

Reproduction

Breeding takes place from July to November. Males will mate with multiple females throughout the breeding season.

Following a successful mating the female will deposit 6-32 eggs in to a tree hole or among epiphytic plants. These eggs incubate for 52 days. She will wrap around her eggs to help maintain the incubation temperature until the eggs hatch.

At hatching the young will measure between 28 and 35cm (11-14in) long.

These eggs hatch with the young being noticeably different in appearance from the adults. They are colored bright yellow though a red morph also exists. This is patterned with purplish lines, bars and blotches running down the back. Often these enclose a white scale.

Within a year the juvenile green tree python will change to the adult coloration.

Sexual maturity is reached at 3 years old.

Behavior

During the day the green tree python typically wraps around a branch forming a ball with their head sitting at the centre of this.

They are primarily arboreal and spend much of their time in the trees.

Predators and Threats

Juveniles face predation from birds of prey.

The main threat presented by humans is collection for the pet trade. Despite being made illegal this still occurs with collectors eager to obtain new color morphs or bloodlines.

They are also hunted by local people for food and face habitat loss and destruction.

Quick facts

The green tree python is a sought after pet