Common Green Tree Snake
The common green tree snake bears the scientific name Dendrelaphis punctulata and is also known as the green tree snake. Though they have suffered from some habitat destruction, they are common in the wild, and according to the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, they have the highest distribution of all tree snakes. The green tree snake is diurnal, meaning that it is active during the day.
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Features
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The green tree snake may come in a variety of different shades of green. Depending on the location, their bodies may be olive green, blue green or dull green, but most varieties have bright yellow scales on their belly. They may also show blue spots or bright yellow spots on their back, depending on the location.
Diet
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The green tree snake typically hunts small frogs but is an opportunistic feeder and will also eat other small animals. A normal diet for a common green tree snake includes frogs and small reptiles, such as skinks and geckos.
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Size
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At their full adult size, the green tree snake commonly ranges between 2 and 5 feet, with some very large specimens measuring six feet. They are slender snakes. The females lay between 5 and 12 eggs at a time.
Defenses
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Harmless to humans, when the green tree snake is threatened, it will release an unpleasant smelling oil from its vent glands. It may also inflate its throat to display blue skin underneath its scales, which can startle a predator away. When cornered they will bite, but biting is a last resort, as the snake would prefer to escape immediately.
Location
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The green tree snake is found all over the Australian mainland in a variety of different climates. They may be found in vine forests and in woodlands as well as the rain forest. They also inhabit wet and dry sclerophyll forests, which that feature hard leaves and short distances between the leaves on the stems. As the name implies, they are an arboreal species and live in the trees and shrubs.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Green Snake image by fotodewan from Fotolia.com
