Fun Common Tree Snake Facts For Kids

The common or green tree snake is a medium-sized, non-venomous reptile native to the Australian continent, especially eastern and northern Australia (New South Wales). It has a pattern of blotchy brown and green skin, which is why it was named after the green tree frog. Most snakes are solitary creatures and only come together during breeding season or when threatened by predators. They do not hibernate at any time of the year except in colder regions, where they must go into a state of deep sleep in order to survive the cold weather.

Some green tree snakes will breed with other Australian tree snake subspecies that have similar colors. This is because they need to maintain their camouflage so that they can successfully hunt their prey without being seen. Green tree snakes are found in open woodlands, well-lit gardens, and parks. They are most active at dusk and dawn and while hunting for prey. They also like to bask in the sun during the day and often do so on top of branches or leaves that they can easily climb down from. If you want to read more on common tree snake Australia, common tree snake care sheet, and more, then go through this article.

If you want to explore more about these fascinating animals, then check out brown tree snakes and golden tree snakes.

What type of animal is a common tree snake?

The green tree snake is a non-venomous snake that belongs to the family of Colubridae.

What class of animal does a common tree snake belong to?

The green tree snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata) belongs to the Reptilia class of the Animal kingdom.

How many common tree snakes are there in the world?

These snake species are found in abundance near their inhabited regions. However, no exact numbers are known as to how many of their species are alive on Earth. In a nutshell, they are commonly seen in Australia, so there is no serious threat posed on their population.

Where does a common tree snake live?

The green tree snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata) is mostly distributed in northern and eastern Australia. They are frequently spotted along with the tropical rainforests of Australia. They are also found in some places of the Kimberley region that is from Western Australia to Queensland (Torres Strait and Cape York). Further on, these snake species are also spread in Papua New Guinea (north), east coast of New South Wales.

What is a common tree snake's habitat?

The common tree snake's variety of habitats mostly includes swampy vegetation, bushland, banks of vegetated streams, creeks, and rivers. They are also frequently seen along the edges of the rainforests and the eucalypt forests. These fascinating diurnal creatures bush around the heathland, coasts, and wetlands with the presence of trees, lush vegetation, shrubs, and even grasses.

However, they do not only live around vegetated areas, as they can live at 1640 ft (500 m) above sea level. Their habitats also consist of wet sclerophyll forests, gardens, and backyards, suburban lands, farmlands, and dried woodlands. They are found in suburban places and even cities recently.

Who do common tree snakes live with?

Regarding their behavior, there is not much data available. However, these snake species are motile and most active during the day, so they are likely to move around, especially they can be easily spotted in backyards and lawns.

Various snakes congregate together to form a group in the winter season and bask in the sun to avoid the cold. They are considered outstanding pets as they are non-venomous. They live with humans as they have an amazing interaction with humans.

How long does a common tree snake live?

They have decent longevity, that is, around 10-20 years.

How do they reproduce?

Green tree snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulata) usually lay between 5-12 eggs in a clutch, depending on how many females participate in the breeding process. Females lay eggs that need to be incubated under special circumstances for hatching. When measured from their snout to the tail, the hatchlings are around 9.5 in (24 cm) long.

What is their conservation status?

The green tree snake conservation status is listed as Least Concern in the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List. This clearly suggests that they are not Endangered, and they can be easily spotted in the wild.

What do common tree snakes look like?

Green tree snakes have a long slender body that is olive-green with blue flecks, brown-black blotches. They are often found in a variety of colors, including blue, brown, black, yellow, and green. Their underside is speckled with blue color. They have dry scales that are made up of keratin.

How cute are they?

They are really attractive, with the most interesting characteristic being their behavior. Moreover, they are not offensive, unlike coral snakes.

How do they communicate?

Like most other snakes, they communicate through hisses. Apart from the acoustic mode, they also use chemical and tactile modes of communication.

How big is a common tree snake?

This non-venomous snake species is 5.4 ft (1.6 m) in length, but they can grow even longer than that, which is up to 6.7 ft (2 m). They are half the size of red-bellied snakes and way shorter than a black racer snake.

How fast can a common tree snake move?

These non-venomous snake species are very agile, and they have excellent locomotion ability. However, no exact number is available as to how fast they move.

How much does a common tree snake weigh?

This snake species have a slender body. However, not much data is available on their weight.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no gender distinction done in snakes. Hence, both male and female snakes are called snakes.

What would you call a baby common tree snake?

Like all other snakes, a baby snake is called a snakelet.

What do they eat?

Like most of the other snakes, this snake species is also a carnivore which clearly depicts that they prey on other species from the Animalia Kingdom. Green tree snakes are non-venomous constrictors that feed on small mammals, rodents like mice, fish, frogs, birds, lizards, amphibians, and other snakes.

Are they poisonous?

No, they are non-venomous or non-poisonous, just like a black rat snake.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they make really excellent pets. They are mostly active during the day, do not easily bite, and have very amazing agility. Moreover, many are attracted to their blue flecks and slender body.

Please check your local laws and regulations about the suitability of them as pets.

Did you know...

When they are agitated and all other techniques fail, they secrete a chemical called cloaca that has a very strong and pungent odor to repel the threat.

Do common tree snakes bite?

No, they do not bite, neither are they dangerous. However, when threatened, they typically hiss and hide their head, but they will bite if handled or annoyed.

Do common tree snakes lay eggs?

Yes, they lay around 5-12 eggs. The clutch size mostly depends on the number of females.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these black-necked spitting cobra facts and krait facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable snake coloring pages.