How to Identify the Merauke Green Tree Python (Identification Guide)
The Merauke locality of the green tree python, from the southern lowlands of New Guinea near the Australian border, is noted for a clean, mostly solid green adult coloration with minimal blue flecking.
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Key identifying features
The Merauke green tree python is a locality form of Morelia viridis originating from the region around Merauke in the far south of West Papua, near the border with Papua New Guinea and not far from the Australian mainland populations. It shows the classic green tree python silhouette: a laterally compressed body, a strongly prehensile tail, and the species' signature branch-draped resting coil.
Coloration & pattern
Adults from this locality are often described as displaying a comparatively clean, solid green dorsal coloration with minimal blue or white flecking, giving a more uniform appearance than some heavily marked northern New Guinea localities. The belly is pale cream to yellow. Juveniles, as in all green tree pythons, hatch in a bright yellow or red color phase and gradually shift to green over their first one to two years.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is broad, triangular, and clearly distinct from the neck, with heat-sensing pits along the upper and lower lips. The eyes have vertical pupils adapted to a nocturnal and crepuscular lifestyle. Scales are small and smooth, giving a glossy finish to the green coloration.
Size & body shape
Adults typically reach 4 to 6 feet, with the laterally flattened body and strongly prehensile tail typical of the species, allowing them to grip branches securely while coiled.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
This form comes from the low-lying savanna-forest mosaic and monsoon forest around Merauke in southern New Guinea, a transitional zone bordering the drier habitats of northern Australia. It is found in trees and shrubs within forest patches rather than in open grassland.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
Merauke individuals are often noted for a cleaner, more uniform green with less flecking than northern localities such as Aru or Biak, but this trait shows individual variation and should not be used alone to confirm locality without verified origin. As with all green tree pythons, they are separated from the unrelated emerald tree boa by geographic range and differences in head scalation, and from carpet pythons by their solid green (rather than blotched) adult pattern.
Frequently asked questions
How does Merauke coloration differ from other green tree python localities?
It is often noted for a cleaner, more uniformly green appearance with less blue flecking compared to some northern New Guinea localities, though individual variation exists.
Where is Merauke located?
It is a region in the far south of West Papua, New Guinea, near the border with Papua New Guinea.
What color are the young?
Juveniles are bright yellow or red at hatching and turn green with age.
Is this snake dangerous to be near?
It is non-venomous, though like all pythons it can deliver a defensive bite if threatened.