Zvíře
Green tree python
A tree-dwelling constrictor that senses the warmth of prey and rests draped over a branch.
Jazyk obsahu
The green tree python spends much of the day on a branch. It arranges its body in coils and rests its head between them. Adults are mainly active at night, so remaining still during the day is part of their normal rhythm. Their natural habitat is the humid forest of New Guinea and northern Australia, where an arboreal lifestyle ties them to the branches and canopy of tropical trees.
Small pits on the head are associated with heat-sensitive organs. These help detect prey by sensing the warmth radiating from its body. When hunting, the front of the snake's body remains folded, ready for a rapid strike. Backward-curving teeth help hold a captured animal. The python is a constrictor: it wraps its body around prey rather than subduing it with venom.
A prehensile tail supports the snake as it climbs or waits for food. Adults hunt by ambush and do not need to travel constantly through the forest in search of prey. Their green colouring blends with the canopy. A resting python offers a chance to follow how one branch supports its repeatedly folded body and how little of its full length is visible from the front.
Pro děti
A python may look like a green knot on a branch. This is how it rests: it coils its long body and places its head between the loops. Adult green tree pythons usually hunt at night, so they may stay still for a long time during the day. They come from the humid forests of New Guinea and northern Australia.
Heat-sensitive organs in small pits on the head help them hunt. A python waits for prey, then quickly extends the front of its body. It catches the animal with its teeth and wraps coils around it. It is a constrictor.
Its tail also helps it hold onto branches. A snake does not need feet to move among trees. Try finding its head among the green coils without tapping on the terrarium glass.
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What do the organs on a green tree python’s head help it detect when hunting?
- Umístění
- Vivarium in the zoo headquarters lobby