The green tree python (Morelia viridis) is a species of python native to New Guinea, islands in Indonesia, and Cape York Peninsula in Australia. Described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. As its name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach 2 metres in length and 1.6 kg in weight, with females slightly larger and heavier than males. Living generally in trees, the green tree python mainly hunts and eats small reptiles and mammals. It is a popular pet and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia. Hatchlings are lemon-yellow with broken stripes and spots of purple and brown, or golden or orange-red.