How to Identify the Manokwari Green Tree Python (Identification Guide)
The Manokwari locality of the green tree python, from the Bird's Head region of West Papua, is recognized by its bright green coloration and moderate, evenly scattered blue flecking.
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Key identifying features
The Manokwari green tree python is a locality form of Morelia viridis from the area around Manokwari on the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula of West Papua. It exhibits the classic green tree python profile: a laterally compressed body, a strongly prehensile tail, and the species' signature branch-draped resting coil.
Coloration & pattern
Adults typically show a bright to medium green dorsal color with moderate, fairly evenly scattered blue or white flecking across the back. The belly is pale yellow to cream. Juveniles hatch bright yellow or red, and — as with every green tree python population — gradually shift to green over their first one to two years of growth, one of the species' most recognizable traits.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is broad and triangular, distinctly set off from the neck, with heat-sensing pits along the upper and lower lips. Eyes are large with vertical pupils suited to a largely nocturnal lifestyle. Scales are small and smooth, producing a glossy sheen over the green base color.
Size & body shape
Adults generally reach 4 to 6 feet, with a slender, laterally flattened body and a strongly prehensile tail used to anchor the snake securely while coiled over branches.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
This locality form comes from lowland rainforest surrounding Manokwari, on the northern coast of the Bird's Head Peninsula in West Papua. It inhabits the forest canopy and understory shrub layer rather than the ground.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
Manokwari individuals fall within the general range of coloration seen across Vogelkop Peninsula localities (including Sorong and Kofiau), and visual overlap between these populations makes confident identification without confirmed origin difficult. As with all green tree pythons, this form is separated from the unrelated emerald tree boa by geographic range and differing head scalation, and from carpet pythons by a uniform green adult pattern rather than a blotched one.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Manokwari located?
It is a coastal city on the Bird's Head Peninsula of West Papua, New Guinea.
How does the Manokwari locality compare to Sorong?
Both come from the Vogelkop Peninsula and show broadly similar green coloration with blue flecking; distinguishing them reliably requires confirmed collection data.
What color are the young?
Hatchlings are bright yellow or red and become green as they mature.
Is this snake venomous?
No, it is a non-venomous constrictor.