Yapen Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis
An island locality of the green tree python from Yapen Island in Cenderawasih Bay off the northern coast of New Guinea.
- Venomous?
- Non-venomous
- Adult length
- 1.2-1.8 m (4-6 ft)
- Range
- Yapen Island, Cenderawasih Bay, Papua, Indonesia
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Overview
The Yapen green tree python is native to Yapen Island, a large island in Cenderawasih Bay just off the northern coast of mainland New Guinea. It represents another of the several island-based locality populations of Morelia viridis recognized within this bay.
Like its relatives, it undergoes the species' hallmark juvenile-to-adult color transformation and shares the same arboreal, ambush-hunting lifestyle, differing from other localities mainly in subtle pattern tendencies.
How to identify it
- Green adult body color, occasionally with light blue or yellow speckling
- Pale, sometimes broken vertebral stripe
- Large triangular head with heat-sensing labial pits, distinct from the neck
- Vertical pupils
- Prehensile tail and laterally compressed body
- Juveniles hatch yellow or red and change to green over time
Habitat & range
Found in lowland tropical rainforest across Yapen Island in Cenderawasih Bay, occupying understory saplings, forest edges, and riverine vegetation near sea level.
Behavior, diet & reproduction
Nocturnal ambush predator, spending daylight hours coiled on a branch and becoming active at night to hunt small mammals, birds, and lizards. Kills prey by constriction. Oviparous, with females coiling protectively around egg clutches.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Yapen Island?
A large island in Cenderawasih Bay, off the northern coast of mainland New Guinea, part of Papua, Indonesia.
Is it a separate species from other localities?
No, all green tree python localities belong to the single species Morelia viridis.
Is it venomous?
No, it is a non-venomous constrictor.
What do adults eat?
Small mammals, birds, and lizards captured by ambush.
Yapen Green Tree Python guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Yapen Green Tree Python.
