Catch'Um binoculars logoCatch’Um
Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) wildlife photograph

Field guide · rare

Green Tree Python

An emerald coil on a branch — New Guinea and Australian rainforest's jewel python.

Least Concern

Morelia viridis

Overview

Green tree pythons spend their days looped in perfect saddle coils over rainforest branches, vivid green with a white vertebral stripe. Juveniles are often yellow or red before turning green — a transformation that fascinates collectors and photographers alike.

A high-glamour Australia reptile card beside frilled lizards and cassowaries.

Habitat

  • Tropical rainforest
  • Canopy branches

Tropical rainforest canopy of northern Australia (Cape York) and New Guinea, perched on branches above the forest floor.

Countries found

Field notes

Field scale for the Green Tree Python: length around 1.2-1.8 m; weight 1-2 kg typical. Typical lifespan: Around 15-20 years in the wild.

When you are scanning habitat, prioritise tropical rainforest and canopy branches. Those settings are where a clean look and a usable photo are most likely.

Quick ID anchor: Vivid green python with a slender white stripe along the back and large head scales. Confirm with behaviour and habitat before you log the discovery.

Where to see one

  • Australia

    In Australia, start at Daintree Rainforest (Queensland). Ancient tropical forest at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, with cassowaries, tree kangaroos, and forest birds.

    More context on this destination lives on the Australia expedition page.

    Spotting guide for Green Tree Python in Australia

Diet

Birds, bats, and small mammals ambushed from branches.

Strike and constrict; mostly nocturnal hunters.

Behaviour

Arboreal; spend daylight coiled on perches.

May bask in dappled canopy light; solitary.

How to identify

Vivid green python with a slender white stripe along the back and large head scales.

Juveniles yellow/red; labial heat pits visible along the lips.

Interesting facts

  1. 01

    Adults are emerald green; juveniles are often bright yellow or red.

  2. 02

    Rest in a characteristic coiled loop over horizontal branches.

  3. 03

    Non-venomous constrictors that ambush birds and mammals.

  4. 04

    Heat-sensing pits help locate warm prey at night.

  5. 05

    Prehensile tails aid climbing.

  6. 06

    Closely convergent in look with South America's emerald tree boa.

Conservation status

LC: Least Concern

Green tree pythons are Least Concern across much of their range, though local habitat loss and illegal collection can pressure populations. Intact Cape York and New Guinea rainforest supports wild coils.

Sources: IUCN Red List

Keep exploring

Where it lives

Related discoveries

Free on iOS

Catch the Green Tree Python

Spot one in the wild, then scan it in Catch'Um to log your rare discovery.