Silver Ounce 2016 Animal Skins - Green Tree Python, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Many of these feature various animals.

This coin is part of the Animal Skins series and depicts a Green Tree Python.

Green Tree Pythons are not poisonous, they are constrictors, meaning they use constrictive pressure to dispatch their prey. They are well known to bite when someone or something provokes them. They can become easily agitated and very protective.

Green Tree Pythons live in areas where most people will never get a chance to see one up close; New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia are the main locations for this species. Its figure makes the Green Tree Python special! A relatively slim body and a long tail characterise it. As you can see the head is large and clearly defined from the neck with a distinctive large and angular snout. The body is triangular in cross section with a visible spine. The species usually reaches a total length of 150-180 cm, but large females may reach 200 cm! Green Tree Pythons have a particular way of resting in the branches of trees, they loop a coil or two over the branches in a saddle position and place their head in the middle as shown on our design for the coin.