Green Tree Python and Emerald Tree Boa. Well, you say, don’t the names of these snakes describe the animal to a tee? Green tree pythons are green, and emerald is just another way of saying green! Yes, adult green tree pythons and emerald boas are green, but before they reach maturity, they pass through several different phases. These phases, which can last for several years before adult coloration is reached, are characterized by brilliant colorations of oranges, yellows, reds and even blue!

Green Tree Python Changing to Green

The green tree python is often confused with the emerald tree boa. This is easy to understand, seeing as even the names of these two snakes are similar. The adult coloration of both the boa and python is green. The emerald tree boa can be distinguished by white zig-zags decorating its body. The tree python can have flecks of white on it, but these aren’t as distinguished as on the boa.

Green Tree Python

Emerald Tree Boa

For the most part, juveniles of the two snakes are harder to distinguish. However, emerald tree boas don’t pass through a yellow phase, only green pythons do. Emerald tree boas are larger than green tree pythons, average length being six feet. Green tree pythons are somewhat smaller, growing to an average of three and a half feet.

Although they look similar in juvenile and adult form, these two snakes come from different sides of the globe. The emerald tree boa hails from the Amazon regions of South America, while the green tree python lives in the rainforests of New Guinea, Indonesia and parts of Australia. Neither species is venomous, although they do eat warm-blooded prey. Boas and pythons wrap their body around their victims in thick coils, squeezing the breath from them.

Juvenile Green Tree Pythons

The reproduction of the emerald boa and green tree python differs. Emerald tree boas incubate their eggs inside their body, where the young feed on the yolk, and then give birth to 6-14 live young. Juveniles are born in bright shades of orange or red. Green tree pythons lay around 20-something eggs, which the mother coils on top of to incubate until they hatch. Juveniles are born almost neon yellow, with stripes and spots of various other colors, including red, orange, purple and even gold.

Emerald Tree Boa

Watching a juvenile emerald tree boa or green tree python grow up is like looking through a prism at uber-snail speed. The beautiful phases it passes through can almost encompass the rainbow.