Green tree python
Morelia viridis (Schlegel, 1872)
The green tree python (Morelia viridis), also called Green python or Southern green python, is a snake in the family Pythonidae and the genus Morelia. It is a medium-sized reptile with an adult body mass of 3.113 kg, and its habitat is forest.
Quick facts about the green tree python
Its lifespan is given as 17.85 years, with a highest reported value of 20.6 years; eggs incubate for 60 days and a clutch numbers 16. Checklists record it in Indonesia, and the IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 3.11 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 2 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 17.9 years – 20.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- vertebratessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 60 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 16src for Young per litter or clutch
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Photos of the green tree python
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.
Where does the green tree python live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The green tree python is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ReptileDB (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the green tree python?
The green tree python (Morelia viridis), is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. First described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. As its common name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach a total length (including tail) of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), with females slightly larger and heavier than males. Living generally in trees, the green tree python mainly hunts and eats small reptiles and mammals. It is a popular pet, and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia. Despite this, the green tree python is rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.
From the Wikipedia article “Green tree python” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_tree_python&oldid=1380440062), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the green tree python endangered?
The green tree python is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the green tree python classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderSquamata
- familyPythonidae
- genusMorelia
- SpeciesMorelia viridis (Schlegel, 1872)
Synonyms Chondropython adelynhoserae, Chondropython pulcher, Chondropython shireenae, Chondropython viridis, Chondropython viridis adelynhoserae, Chondropython viridis shireenae, Python viridis
Other names and names in other languages (19)
- Green pythonEnglish
- Green pythonEnglish
- Southern green pythonEnglish
- Sydlig Grøn TræpytonDanish
- Grüner BaumpythonGerman
- Python vertFrench
- Python arboricole vertFrench
- Python arboricole vert australienFrench
- smaragdzöld pitonHungarian
- Sanca hijauIndonesian
- ミドリニシキヘビJapanese
- grønn trepytonNorwegian Bokmål
- Groene boompythonDutch
- Zuidelijke groene boompythonDutch
- pyton zielonyPolish
- Зелёный питонRussian
- งูหลามต้นไม้สีเขียวThai
- Пітон зеленийUkrainian
- 綠樹蟒Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the green tree python
Other species in the same genus Morelia.
Carpet python
Morelia spilota
Centralian python
Morelia bredli
Rough-scaled python
Morelia carinata
Western carpet python
Morelia imbricata
Green python
Morelia azurea
CompareGreen tree python vs Carpet pythonGreen tree python vs Centralian pythonGreen tree python vs Rough-scaled pythonGreen tree python vs Western carpet python
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the green tree python?
The green tree python is a reptile, a snake in the family Pythonidae.
How heavy is the green tree python?
An adult Green tree python has a body mass of 3.113 kg, placing it in the medium size class.
Is the green tree python endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the green tree python live?
Its lifespan is given as 17.85 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 20.6 years.
Which countries is the green tree python recorded in?
Checklists record the green tree python in Indonesia.
How long do Green tree python eggs incubate?
Green tree python eggs incubate for 60 days, and a clutch numbers 16.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Green tree python (Morelia viridis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-tree-python
“Green tree python (Morelia viridis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-tree-python.
@misc{green_tree_python_2026,
title = {Green tree python (Morelia viridis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-tree-python},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}