Reptile
Common Tree Snake
Dendrelaphis punctulatusAlso known as Green Tree Snake, Australian Tree Snake
Common tree snakes glide through canopy foliage with remarkable agility, using exceptional daytime vision to hunt frogs and small lizards. When startled, they inflate their neck to reveal bright blue skin beneath overlapping scales and emit a pungent musk rather than striking. These harmless reptiles frequently enter suburban gardens across eastern and northern Australia, scaling fences and trellises with ease.
DiurnalArborealAgile
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGreen tree frogs, Skinks, Geckos
Predators
- Laughing kookaburras
- Birds of prey
- Feral cats
ThreatsHabitat clearing, predation by feral cats, ingestion of toxic cane toads
HabitatsRainforests, sclerophyll woodlands, coastal heath, river corridors, suburban gardens
Life span10–15 years
Classification
- FamilyColubridae
- GenusDendrelaphis
- SpeciesDendrelaphis punctulatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Scanning Foliage: Look for slender coils resting in sunny shrub tops and dense garden vines.
- Defensive Posture: Watch for throat inflation displaying bright blue skin if the snake feels crowded.
- Garden Coexistence: Maintain dense native plantings and frog ponds to provide undisturbed passage.
Prey "Whites Tree Frog" by mark.tulloch is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Predator (c) mcamcamca, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Competitor (c) Sockrosma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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