As its common name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach a total length (including tail) of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), with females slightly larger and heavier than males.

It is a popular pet, and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia.

[6] French naturalist Henri Émile Sauvage described Chondropython pulcher from a specimen from Mansinam Island, Irian Jaya.

Two studies of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA published in 2013 and 2014 came up with differing results, one confirming the species in Morelia, the other placing it as an early offshoot with the Children's python genus Antaresia.

[6] Raymond Hoser described the Australian population as a separate subspecies Chondropython viridis shireenae, after his wife Shireen, noting that the taxon consistently had white markings along the backbone, whereas snakes from New Guinea and Indonesia only sometimes had this trait, and the molecular analysis would bear out the distinctness.

The preferred natural habitat of M. viridis is in or near rainforest, and the species is primarily arboreal, residing in trees, shrubs, and bushes.

[11][12] This snake, like the emerald tree boa, was previously thought to eat birds; however, Switak conducted field work on this issue.

Wild specimens have also been observed and photographed wrapped around the base of small tree trunks facing down in an ambush position, presumably waiting for ground mammals to prey upon.

[citation needed] The green tree python is often bred and kept in captivity, although it is usually considered an advanced species due to its specific care requirements and generally irritable temperament.

[14] Despite this, a flourishing illegal trade continues, and wildlife breeding farms were found to be serving as conduits to funnel wild-caught green tree pythons out of Indonesia.

Harvesting of wild green tree pythons was heaviest in Biak and neighbouring islands, with resulting population decline.

[14] In 2010, the green tree python was rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of endangered species on the basis of its large range and isolated declines in population from smuggling.