![]() ![]() The Brazilian navy does make an annual stop on the island for maintenance of the lighthouse, which, since the 1920s, has been automated. The Brazilian government requires that a doctor be present on any legally sanctioned visits, in the event of an unfortunate run-in with the island’s native population. ![]() The snake’s venom can cause kidney failure, necrosis of muscular tissue, brain hemorrhaging and intestinal bleeding. A bite from a golden lancehead carries a seven percent chance of death, and even with treatment, victims still have have a three percent chance of dying. Even without a government ban, though, Ilha da Queimada Grande probably wouldn’t be a top tourist destination: the snakes on the island exist in such a high concentration that some estimates claim that there’s one snake for every square meter in some spots. But the golden lancehead vipers can’t track the birds they bite-so instead they evolved incredibly potent and efficient venom, three to five times stronger than any mainland snake’s-capable of killing most prey (and melting human flesh) almost instantly.īecause of the danger, the Brazilian government strictly controls visits to Ilha da Queimada Grande. ![]() Often, snakes stalk their prey, bite and wait for the venom to do its work before tracking the prey down again. To find food, the snakes slithered upward, preying on migratory birds that visit the island seasonally during long flights. Their only challenge: they also had no ground level prey. The snakes that ended up stranded on Ilha da Queimada Grande had no ground level predators, allowing them to reproduce rapidly. But according to another local tale, the last lighthouse keeper, along with his entire family, died when a cadre of snakes slithered into his home through the windows.Īlthough some claim the snakes were put on the island by pirates hoping to protect their gold, in reality, the island’s dense population of snakes evolved over thousands of years-without human intervention. Around 11,000 years ago, sea levels rose enough to isolate Ilha da Queimada Grande from mainland Brazil, causing the species of snakes that lived on the island-thought to most likely be jararaca snakes-to evolve on a different path than their mainland brethren. These vipers’ venom can kill a person in under an hour, and numerous local legends tell of the horrible fates that awaited those who wandered onto the shores of “ Snake Island.” Rumor has it a hapless fisherman landed onto the island in search of bananas-only to be discovered days later in his boat, dead in a pool of blood, with snake bites on his body. From 1909 to the 1920s, a few people did live on the island, in order to run its lighthouse. Traveling to Brazil? Get your sim card here.Īlmost every Brazilian knows about the island, but most would never dream of going there-it’s infested with between 2,000 and 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, one of the deadliest snakes in the entire world. The snakes live on the many migratory birds (enough to keep the snake density remarkably high) that use the island as a resting point. Researchers estimate that on the island live between one and five snakes per square meter. Off the shore of Brazil, almost 93 miles away from downtown São Paulo, is Ilha da Queimada Grande , also known as “ Snake Island.” The island is untouched by human developers for a very good reason. ![]()
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