Green Tree Python Locality Types Information

A locality type is just a way of saying geographic area - a Sorong GTP or a Lereh GTP - a New Jersey Corn snake or a Florida Corn snake - same thing.

We've been breeding reptiles for more than 20 years now and like many enthusiasts we have produced pretty much every common terrarium animal. As long time pros we've hatched more than 10,000 baby animals.

In some reptiles "types" or "color phases" are really distinctive - most of the time there are clear definitive rules, we know what makes a kingsnake "sonoran" or not. Provide an animal and by using rules we can often "prove" what type it is. There are specific visual characteristics that all animals of a particular type always have. Sometimes there are physical features like number of scales or tail length. Many times "types" have consistent personality traits. Often individual "bloodlines" produced by breeders have these types of characteristics and they are clearly heritable. This tends to be very true in species where there is lots of discussion about "types" - and that is why it is so ironic that there is much discussion regarding locality in Green Tree Pythons. There are really three basic Green Tree Pythons but all of them can show characteristics of the other ones so even this grouping is fuzzy.

Green Tree Pythons are very individual animals - animals from the same clutch commonly have totally different appearances as adults. They have the unique reality of an ontogenetic color change - and many animals continue to change their appearance throughout their adult lives. There is no long list of heritable color or physical traits in Green Tree Pythons that has been proven - and it is unlikely there ever will be one that says much beyond "Albino" in our lifetime. A clutch of "high blue" animals can have only a few critters that end up looking like the "amazing" feature of the parents.

So they don't conform to any set of "rules" - like all Biak's have long pointed tails - to which there are not a significant number of exceptions. The "types" don't have clearly heritable physical or color traits. There is no reliable personality among a specific "type". Many Green Tree Pythons change appearance throughout their adult lives. Animals with the same mother and father usually don't look the same as adults.

So why oh why are people so interested in locality type or what "kind" of Green Tree Python every animal is? Marketing. "Imported extra-virgin olive oil" sells better than "olive oil" - and lots of folks in the agriculture world (especially organics) get driven mad by labeling issues like these.

The majority of animals sold are labeled as a specific "locality". Green Tree Python enthusiasts like to point out that this is really a lie and they are correct - the only person that can sell you a true "locality" animal is someone who personally collected it and they'll have oodles of documentation. Finding someone who would do this and also be honest is so rare that most of the true "locality" projects with reptiles involve the breeder themselves going to the wild and personally collecting animals. This is something for a zoo to do, it usually isn't an activity individuals engage in. (unless your last name is O'Shea). When this does get done all that is really "known" is that the animal was collected at a specific place. The idea that the "natives" can provide specific locality animals is pretty crazy, as is common when taking the money of folks from the "industrial" world they'll usually say whatever they think you want to hear.

So because of this responsible breeders use the words "Locality Type" to indicate that we do not represent our animals as actually from a specific geographic region. While general observations are usually valid they are not dependable. Doing this is actually a bit like folks at an animal shelter saying your newly adopted pup is a lab or a dachshund, it is hardly based on DNA. It is also popular to provide pictures of the parents - this is ironic as well, the chance of clear heritable physical characteristics is slim outside of developed "bloodlines". Each "generation" of Green Tree Pythons is a 6-10 year time frame, this is nature's law.

So anyway - we will discuss what we know about "locality type" here and describe common characteristics with the above reality firmly in mind. If you are looking for an animal with a specific appearance the best bet is to buy an animal that is at least one year old. This is one of the reasons Green Tree Pythons are like potato chips, few people can have just one. Over time you'll come to appreciate the mysterious nature of the animal more than be annoyed by it, we promise.

All of these labels are in constant flux and mean different things to different people. It is fair to say that the market is working hard to introduce "new" localities and that much of the time these animals are in fact just being sold under a new name. These terms also tend to be used interchangeably with what are really bloodline work labels like "Key Lime" or "High Yellow" which almost always are significantly mixed "localities".

Most of the names used are just towns and ports, looking at a map is helpful. Some maps:
The Wikipedia Map is here.
CIA World Factbook Indonesia
CIA World Factbook Papua New Guinea
HRW World Atlas Oceania
HRW World Atlas Papua New Guinea
HRW World Atlas Indonesia

Mainland

Sorong

These animals are small and have "short" heads, they are known for being very calm. Sometimes these animals are referred to as the "bird head" GTP's. They usually have a blue stripe down the back with small blue triangles on either side. White and yellow spots are common. The tail is a medium length and has black speckles. The Sorong area is part of the Vogelkop peninsula. This type is often recommended for folks that have never had a Green Tree Python before. What we love about this type is the distinctive lobes. We've never seen or heard of a red neonate, Sorong's have yellow offspring.

Manakwari

Another town name this type is also from the Vogelkop peninsula. They tend to have "more" blue than the Sorong and similar body characteristics. Neonates are usually yellow but can be red on rare occasions.

Nabire

This is the name of an airport (NBX) and it is also part of the the Vogelkop peninsula. They tend to be a bit bigger than Sorong's and have a bit more white. Neonates are usually yellow.

Arafak

This type the name of a national park on the Vogelkop peninsula. These animals tend to be less blue and more green - a darker green than the highlands types. Neonates are almost always dark red.

Jayapura

This name comes from the town of Jayapura, a port city on the coast. Here is a cool little tour of the town. These animals are also small for Green Tree Pythons and almost never reach 60" in length. They tend to have more blue than Sorong's but it is usually not that same distinctive full body stripe, it is more robust triangles. These animals often have white and yellow scales along the back as well. The tail is yellow and green, but never black. Neonates are both red and yellow.

Lereh

This town is in north east lowlands and the animals probably come from the Waruta river valley. They are more green than Jayapura's because the "triangles" usually have just a single blue scale. These animals are known for sometimes looking an awful lot like the Brazilian Emerald Tree Boa in their pattern. Many adult animals have a significant amount of yellow. Neonates are both red and yellow.

Wamena

This name refers to a town in central Irian-Jaya, where no Green Tree Pythons have ever actually been found. These guys live more in the mountains and are small like Sorong's. They tend to be turquoise with a clear blue dorsal stripe. A number of yellow and white back scales are common. The tail tip has the same shape as a Sorong but it is not speckled. The tail of neonates is white. These animals are normally a darker green as adults. Often times they get black speckles which are referred to as mite phase, they tend to loose these speckles with age. Neonates are more commonly red than yellow.

Karubaga / Bokondini

These are the actual town names near Wamena where animals can be found. Karubaga animals usually have their back "triangles" filled with white and yellow scales.

Merauke / Cape York

Merauke is a southern coastal city that lies just across the Torres straight from Australia. They have a rich green color and often have a pronounced white dorsal stripe. The reason people are interested in this type is because in 2001 an albino animal was produced and the parents were Meruake's. There is no evidence to suggest that this genetic factor is concentrated in this type. Which doesn't mean we aren't all hopeful about it. Neonates are always yellow and never red.

Merauke's look just like animals from the Cape York peninsula in Australia. Generally speaking Cape York's are not available.

Ross was born in Sydney , Australia and is a dual-national. He has been involved with breeding lots of Australian reptiles in the past, including production of pink tongue skinks. The controversy and issues surrounding Australian reptiles generally is vast and the subject of much debate. If you'd like to learn about it we would suggest that Raymond Hoser and his books are an excellent resource. Awful website, but good books.

Biak

Biak is an island - and as such the notion of specific traits being ascribed to this type is much more credible. They are the largest of all the types with big heads and long snouts. The markings are variable but usually "blotchy", some folks call them the tie die type. The tip of the tail is pointed and they have lots of variance in the predominant body color. They tend to have a really spectacular ontogenetic color change and many first time keepers think they have something unique or unusual until the more typical final adult appearance emerges. Neonates are both red and yellow.

This type has a bit of a reputation for being nasty and aggressive. Due to the physical features of the island (easy to collect) this type is the most commonly offered "gotta be" wild caught Green Tree Python. We believe these two facts have a direct relationship. Our personal experience with Biak's is that they are more aggressive hunters than other types but just as handleable as anyone in the daytime.

Yapen

These animals look just like Biak's, which makes sense as they are from the small island of Yapen right next to Biak island. (some folks refer to the Biak island grouping which includes a number of small neighboring islands). Generally speaking you won't see these animals in the trade much although some exist in the collections of private breeders.

Aru

The Aru islands are off the southwestern coast of West Papua. We sometimes call these "irish" GTP's because they have a bright emerald green base color. They typically have white dorsal scales in small groups, some blue spots, and a short stubby tail.The tail actually looks like it sort of got chopped off. If Sorong's are "small" and Biak's are "large" Aru's are "medium". They tend to undergo the ontogenetic color change very quickly. Neonates are always yellow.

Generally speaking this type has a reputation for being calm and easily handleable.

Canary / Kofiau

This is a recent addition and lots of folks refer to these as the animals that stay yellow - but they often don't. (see previous 8 million references to "no rules"). They do have gorgeous form regardless. Neonates are always yellow. These creatures are from Kofiau island which is south of the Vogelkop Peninsula. Some nearly solid yellow adult specimens exist and are spectacular but the more common story is having paid big dollars for the "stay yellow" Green Tree Python to have it turn green at age 3-5. Little is understood about the factors behind these issues and several breeders are working on this question now. It is clear that genetic factors are involved but understanding the way they work is probably many years down the road.

Colors and Hybrids

There are a number of color projects like "High Blue", "High Yellow", "Key Lime", "Mustard", "Lemon Tree" and others. These tend to be mixes of different locality types or based upon what are referred to as "PNG" animals (Papua New Guinea), which is how the trade referred to some animals imported in the 1970's and 80's. Most of these animals have been bred over numerous generations while selecting for color. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but there is no arguing how amazing some of these creatures are.

The crossing of Biak and Sorong animals produces what folks call "Glass" - and there are many other "type" crosses that you'll see on the market. Generally these are the result of folks refusing to allow a receptive female to go un bred if there is a willing male - experiencing Green Tree Python breeding would give anyone a different perspective on this. This is one of the fundamental reasons so many animals are of an at least slightly mixed heritage.

Green Tree Pythons have also been bred with Carpet Pythons to create the amazing, fabulous Carpondro. (Carpet + Chondro= Carpondro). We love these animals here at Spruce Nubble Farm and are at work on a project to prove they are fertile. In the words of one laughing friend of ours: "oh great, that'll definitely make all of this crap worse!".

A final word on Marketing

We sold our first animals in the 1980's. We've worked in pet shops large and small, east coast and west. Fish specialty, parrot breeders, reptile shops, wholesalers, rodent shacks, shows every month, barns, and supply stores. We've owned pet shops. We've owned breeding farms in Virginia, Arizona, and Maine.We know a tremendous number of folks in the business and are proud to call them our friends. We run this little weird groovy husband and wife farm operation now on a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

We've seen it all.

Generally speaking it is fair to say that many exotic animals are sold by people who really don't know an awful lot about them. Ignorance is not the same as deception - we do try to think the best of people whenever possible.

This is a damn tough way to make a living and quite frankly you have to love it to do it long term, it is the only way. All you can expect is to make a living, not to make money. Most people have expectations of their pet business that are not realistic - lots of pet shops close within one year of opening. This means there is lots of financial pressure, especially for people that are new to the business that don't understand how many years it takes to see returns.

There are two really crappy, dishonest, common ways people usually deal with this. The first thing people do is freak out about their ongoing expenses, the time and money it costs to feed and maintain all these animals. (the supply store business model is built on avoiding this problem)

So they begin to cut corners where they "can" - and over time this spirals into husbandry problems. For most people year one in the pet business invariably contains hard moral choices. In most cases the "cheap" animal is offered by someone who makes choices we would not agree with.

The other thing they do is begin to embellish the animals they have - baby turtles $3, fancy baby turtles $4. People that aren't breeders seek animals they can "turn" profitably - labels are lots of good fun and words like "Rare" are just amazing. If you want to continue thinking the best of people the problem here is called "the guy who sold it to me told it to me" - this means that the reptile seller isn't really lying to you when they say "Smokin RARE Biak x Sorong Het for Stripes with Rich Zoo Bloodlines Hammerin Giant Rats with Gusto" , they are just repeating stuff that any reasonable person would know was complete bullshit if they thought about it.

Buyer beware folks - some days I am not sure whether exotic animal folks shovel more animal shit or spew more bullshit. Fortunately the laws of capitalism and sanity and reputation work over time so most people that have been in business for awhile are good , honest folks.

Remember that If it seems too good to be true, it is.