Docile and well suited to living near human dwellings, Australian green tree frogs are often found on window sills or inside houses, eating insects drawn by the light.

Due to its appearance and behavioural traits, the green tree frog is a popular exotic pet throughout the world.

The skin secretions of the frog have antibacterial and antiviral properties that may prove useful in pharmaceutical preparations and which have rendered it relatively immune to the population declines being experienced by many species of amphibian.

The Australian green tree frog is a member of the family Hylidae and is placed in the subfamily Pelodryadinae, which is endemic to Australia and New Guinea and includes over 100 species in the genera Ranoidea and Nyctimystes.

The iris is golden and has a horizontally slit pupil, and the tympanum (a skin membrane similar to an eardrum) is visible just behind the eye.

The limbs are short and robust, and large adhesive discs are at the end of the digits which provide grip while climbing.

The dorsal colour depends on the temperature and nature of the environment, ranging from brownish- or greyish-green to bright emerald green.

Older members of that species have very large parotoid glands, which cover the entire top of their heads and droop over their tympana.

[13] L. caerulea's skin structure, the hygroscopic coating and an advantageous temperature gradient combine to boost condensation and moisture uptake.

[10] Green tree frogs seem to have homing abilities, being able to return to locations from which they were caught from a considerable distance after being displaced.

During the day, they find cool, dark, and moist areas, such as tree holes or rock crevices, in which to sleep.

They are not a rainforest species, but make use of the rain that falls almost daily and collects on leaves and in crevices, to keep themselves moist.

In dry periods, they avoid desiccation by concealing themselves in a cool spot, perhaps by burrowing, and enveloping themselves in a cocoon made of shed skin and mucus.

[8][10] Frog teeth are not suited to cutting up prey, so the food item must be small enough to fit inside its mouth.

Many frogs flick out their sticky tongues at prey and the victim sticks to the tip and is drawn back into the mouth and consumed.

[14] During the mating season, the males call from slightly elevated positions close to the still-water sources in which they choose to breed.

Its docile nature and long life expectancy make it an attractive choice for exotic pet owners.

One problem commonly associated with keeping this species as a pet is overfeeding; green tree frogs tend to become obese if overfed.

The population trend seems to be stable, and any decline in numbers is not likely to be at a fast enough rate to justify listing it in a more threatened category.

The frog's status in New Guinea is poorly studied, but in 2002, some 75,000 individuals were exported from Indonesia as part of the pet trade, and this may impact populations in some locations.

The secretion from the paratoid gland of the green tree frog contains 25 caerins, a group of peptides with antibacterial and antiviral properties.

[7] Several peptides from the skin secretions of the green tree frog have been found to destroy HIV without harming healthy T cells.

[28] The structure of their toe pads was used to investigate the microstructure and properties of the epithelium that allows the animals to adhere to wet surfaces.