The Green Tree Pythons is a Colorful Ambush Artists

by Aloniab Gezae, age 9

The green tree python is a uniquely colorful snake that hides in the forest to ambush its prey. Despite its name, the green tree python is quite colorful. It can be green with yellow speckles or even completely blue. Young green tree pythons can be yellow, orange, or brick red; they turn green at six to 12 months.

Green tree pythons can be found camouflaging in rainforests in countries like Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. The unique colors of this python allow it to be a good hunter as it camouflages with its surroundings.

The green tree python is a carnivore, eating frogs, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Young tree pythons use their tails as lures. The green tree python has a forked tongue to taste the air for its prey and heat sensors in its eyes that allow it to find its prey at night.

The python weighs about two to five pounds and can grow up to six feet long. It has belly scales to grip onto branches and swiftly move through the trees. These dangerous hunters have long fangs, but they are not venomous.

The green tree pythons are not dangerous to humans; they are fascinating, and skillful snakes.

[Source: Snakes and Reptiles, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute]