Green Tree Python

In my first unit of "In/out" in my sophomore STEAM course class Population, we have been learning about the math and science behind organisms. We have been learning about Set Theory; which is a language used to write mathematical statements for grouping things. Something similar to Set Theory is taxonomy. Taxonomy is the science of classifying and organizing organisms. We went on Field Experiences to Lincoln Park Zoo, where we took pictures of an organism that we would study for our action project. In class, we got to dissect a Lubber Grasshopper, which taught us about morphological features, differences from similar organisms, and the anatomy of the organism. For this project, we were instructed to pick an organism, breakdown and represent the taxonomy of that organism. We had to create a mosaic that would represent and showcase the taxonomy of our organism. We also had to compare and contrast our animal to that of another student’s animal. Lastly, we had to represent our organism using Set Theory. The most challenging part of this action project for me was creating the mosaic of my animal. It was very time consuming but I enjoyed the outcome of my art.

TG. "Green Tree Python". 2019

The Green Tree Python can be found in places below the equator including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. According to ExoticAnimals, “They are usually in or near a rainforest and are primarily arboreal, residing in trees, shrubs, and bushes”. Occasionally, you can see them on the ground. “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. This trait is shared with the emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) of South America.” Fun fact, females grow bigger than males when they mature.

TAXONOMY (Classification of Organism)

Kingdom	Animalia	It’s a multicellular organism and reproduces 25 viable eggs per clutch.
Phylum	Chordata	It has a spinal cord and tail.
Class	Reptilia	Maneuvers on the ground. (Tetrapods)
Order	Squamata	“Squamates” or scaled reptiles.  Suborder: Serpentes
Family	Pythonidae	A family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Genus	Morelia	A genus of large snakes in the family Pythonidae. Currently, eight species are recognized as Morelia.
Species	viridis	Scientific Name:  Bright Green Snake Morelia viridis (Green Tree Python)

Taxonomy Gif

Here is a Gif I created to represent the taxonomy of my organism.

N.L. "Green Tree Python Mosaic". 2019

Venn Diagram

My Venn diagram below shows the similarities and differences between three other organisms chosen by my peers. They are my Green Tree Python, the Two-Toed Sloth, Dwarf Mongoose, and the African Giraffe.

N.L. "Four Set Venn Diagram". 2019

Even though these organisms might be similar by some traits or characteristics, each has its own traits to separate from each other. The African Giraffe is a tall mammal and herbivore that eats small fruits and leaves. The Two-Toed Sloth shares a connection with the giraffe in eatings small fruits, leaves, and other plants. The Green Tree Python is a carnivore that eats other small reptiles. Lastly, the Dwarf Mongoose is a small carnivorous animal that lives in South and Central America. All four of them have similarities such as they all live in places below the equator and they all depend on trees throughout their lives. In other words, they are considered “Tree Huggers”.


Set Theory

Here is my list of math sets of my organism and the organisms I used in my Venn Diagram as well as organisms that share similar traits and characteristics.

Epsilon ϵ = Is an element of.
Set Brackets { } = All elements of the set.

Reptiles = {green tree pythons, alligators, lizards, turtles, cobras..}
green tree pythons ϵ Reptiles
English Translation
 Animals that are included in the Reptile set are green tree pythons, alligators, lizards, turtles, cobras, etc...


Carnivores = {green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, tigers, bears,...}
green tree pythons ϵ Carnivores
English Translation
 Animals that are included in the Carnivores set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, tigers, bears, etc...


Tree Inhabitants = {green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe...}
green tree pythons ϵ Tree Inhabitants
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Tree Inhabitants set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe, etc...


Vertebrates = {dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe, green tree pythons...}
green tree pythons ϵ Vertebrates
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Vertebrates set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, two-toed sloth, giraffe, etc...


Morelia viridis = {green tree pythons}
green tree pythons ⊂ Morelia viridis
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Morelia viridis set are green tree pythons.

In conclusion to my very first action project this year, I was interested in learning about my organism and I found out ways to look deeper into biotic organisms. I hope you learned something new and mostly I hope this engaged and raised questions for you. Thank you for visiting this project. Please give me any feedback you can. Thank you!