Green Tree Python
Encyclopedia
Morelia viridis, the green tree python, is a species
of python found in New Guinea
, islands in Indonesia
, and Cape York Peninsula
in Australia
.
have thermoreceptive pits.
A mostly arboreal species with a striking green or yellow color in adults, the color pattern on this species can vary dramatically from locality to locality. For example, the Aru local is a vivid green with a broken vertebral stripe of white or dull yellow scales, the Sorong local is a bright green with blue highlights and a solid vertical stripe, and the Kofiau local is mostly yellow with varying highlights in white or blue. Cyanomorphs (blue morphs) are also known to occur but are not considered common at this time. Juveniles
are polymorphic
, occurring in reddish, bright yellow and orange morphs.
(Misool
, Salawati
, Aru Islands
, Schouten Islands
, most of Western New Guinea
), Papua New Guinea
(including nearby islands from sea level to 1,800 m elevation, Normanby Island
and the d'Entrecasteaux Islands) and Australia
(Queensland
along the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula
). The type locality given is "Aroe-eilanden" (Aru Islands, Indonesia).
This species is sympatric with M. spilota and the two often compete in the same ecological niche.
The second reason they are considered advanced is from wild caught individuals that often carry parasites and rarely tame down, although the majority of captive bred individuals are very docile.
It was with the development of artificial incubation that this species became much more available in captivity. The most common method used was developed by Robert Worrell in the mid 1990s. It simply involved using a 50/50 ratio of vermiculite to water and just using a beverage cooler for an incubator. This combined with the focus on embryo placement allowed for a much higher hatch rate for this species in captivity. Later with Worrell's observation of ovulation allowed for the average hobbyist to determine when oviposition would take place as well as the outcome of the eggs. Green tree pythons lay their eggs roughly 40 days after ovulation with the time frame going up to a week longer when the animals are maintained in a cooler environment.
The caging for these animals is a bit more specific than the average python. As long as these requirements are met the animal becomes very low maintenance. They require a higher relative humidity (60-80%) as well as a smaller fluctuation
in temperatures (80-85F/26.5-29.5C) than most. Shiloh Hawkesworth wrote an article for Reptiles Magazine "Heat Seeker" article "Heat Seeker" continuation going over these requirements. Amongst many who have kept this species, the Green Tree Python have a reputation for being a furious reptile which will bite when provoked but this is mainly limited to imported animals. Captive bred and born animals are among the most gentle of all the python species.
A care sheet for this species can be found on the Reptiles Magazine website. This "care sheet" article was written by Rico Walder and Trooper Walsh.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of python found in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, islands in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
Adults average 120–200 cm (3.9–6.6 ft) in length, with a maximum length (although rare) of about 7 feet. The supralabial scalesSupralabial scales
In reptiles, the supralabial scales, also called upper-labials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the upper jaw. They do not include the median scale . The term labial originates from Labium , which refers to any lip-like structure...
have thermoreceptive pits.
A mostly arboreal species with a striking green or yellow color in adults, the color pattern on this species can vary dramatically from locality to locality. For example, the Aru local is a vivid green with a broken vertebral stripe of white or dull yellow scales, the Sorong local is a bright green with blue highlights and a solid vertical stripe, and the Kofiau local is mostly yellow with varying highlights in white or blue. Cyanomorphs (blue morphs) are also known to occur but are not considered common at this time. Juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
are polymorphic
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
, occurring in reddish, bright yellow and orange morphs.
Geographic range
Found in IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(Misool
Misool
Misool is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua , Indonesia. Its area is 2034 km². The highest point is 535 m and the main town is Waigama, on the island's northern coast, and Lilinta....
, Salawati
Salawati
Salawati is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua , Indonesia. Its area is 1623 km². The other main islands in the archipelago are Misool, Batanta and Waigeo....
, Aru Islands
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
, Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands
The Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
, most of Western New Guinea
Western New Guinea
West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...
), Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
(including nearby islands from sea level to 1,800 m elevation, Normanby Island
Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea
Normanby Island is a volcanic, 400 square mile , L-shaped island, the southern most island in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands group...
and the d'Entrecasteaux Islands) and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
along the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
). The type locality given is "Aroe-eilanden" (Aru Islands, Indonesia).
This species is sympatric with M. spilota and the two often compete in the same ecological niche.
Behavior
Primarily arboreal, 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. This trait is shared with the emerald tree boa, Corallus caninus, of South America. This habit, along with their appearance, has caused people to confuse the two species when seen outside their natural habitat.Feeding
The diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as rodents, and sometimes reptiles. It was thought that this snake, like the Emerald Tree Boa, ate birds however, Switak conducted field work on this issue and in examining stomach contents of more than 1,000 animals he did not find any evidence of avian prey items. Prey is captured by holding onto a branch using the prehensile tail and striking out from an s-shape position and constricting the prey.Reproduction
Oviparous, with 1-25 viable eggs per clutch. In the wild eggs are incubated and protected by the female, often in the hollow of a tree. Hatchlings are lemon yellow with broken stripes and spots of purple and brown, or golden or orange/red. Over time the color changes as the animal matures, color of the adult depends on the locality of the animal (some taking many years to finish color change).Captivity
These snakes are often bred and kept in captivity, although they are usually considered an advanced species. This is due to their specific care requirements, but once these are met they thrive in captivity.The second reason they are considered advanced is from wild caught individuals that often carry parasites and rarely tame down, although the majority of captive bred individuals are very docile.
It was with the development of artificial incubation that this species became much more available in captivity. The most common method used was developed by Robert Worrell in the mid 1990s. It simply involved using a 50/50 ratio of vermiculite to water and just using a beverage cooler for an incubator. This combined with the focus on embryo placement allowed for a much higher hatch rate for this species in captivity. Later with Worrell's observation of ovulation allowed for the average hobbyist to determine when oviposition would take place as well as the outcome of the eggs. Green tree pythons lay their eggs roughly 40 days after ovulation with the time frame going up to a week longer when the animals are maintained in a cooler environment.
The caging for these animals is a bit more specific than the average python. As long as these requirements are met the animal becomes very low maintenance. They require a higher relative humidity (60-80%) as well as a smaller fluctuation
in temperatures (80-85F/26.5-29.5C) than most. Shiloh Hawkesworth wrote an article for Reptiles Magazine "Heat Seeker" article "Heat Seeker" continuation going over these requirements. Amongst many who have kept this species, the Green Tree Python have a reputation for being a furious reptile which will bite when provoked but this is mainly limited to imported animals. Captive bred and born animals are among the most gentle of all the python species.
A care sheet for this species can be found on the Reptiles Magazine website. This "care sheet" article was written by Rico Walder and Trooper Walsh.