"Snake Island"
The idyllic Brazilian island where you’d likely be dead in under an hour
Located just off the coast of Brazil, Ilha da Queimada Grande has a highly concentrated population of lethally venomous snakes.
Just off the coast of Brazil, some 20 miles from São Paulo, you’ll find a tiny island that has captured the imagination of adventurers and scientists alike. It’s called Ilha da Queimada Grande, but is better known as “Snake Island”.
Measuring a mere 43 hectares in size, the island houses one of the world’s most highly concentrated populations of venomous snakes.
What kind of snake lives on Ilha da Queimada Grande?
Ilha da Queimada Grande is home to a variety of pit viper - Bothrops insularis - that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. More commonly referred to as the golden lancehead viper, the snake carries an extremely lethal form of venom, and has adapted perfectly to the conditions on the island.
Studies have shown that the golden lancehead’s venom is as much as five times deadlier than that of related vipers found elsewhere in South America. A snake that mainly eats birds, its strong venom makes it particularly effective at catching its prey.
Who is allowed onto “Snake Island”?
Given the extreme danger posed by its inhabitants, the Brazilian government has limited access to the island. Special permits must be issued to visitors to Ilha da Queimada Grande, where scientists have researched the location’s unique biodiversity and looked into potential medical uses for the viper’s venom. The only other humans allowed on “Snake Island” are the armed forces who maintain the one building on the island - its lighthouse.
Medical research into the golden lancehead’s venom has indicated that it could have applications in the treatment of illnesses such as heart disease.
Just how many snakes live on the island?
According to Brazilian folklore, the island’s carpet of snakes conceals troves of treasure hidden there by pirates. There are also widespread tales of fishermen who failed to return home after venturing too close to the shores of Ilha da Queimada Grande.
But, although many of the stories told about “Snake Island” amount to no more than local legend, the truth about the island is no less striking: it is estimated that it holds between one and five snakes per square meter, making any foray onto the island a potential date with death.
How did “Snake Island” come into being?
The most widely accepted theory about the origins of “Snake Island” is that it was previously joined to the mainland of what we now know as Brazil, but was separated by a rise in sea levels about 10,000 years ago. The snakes that found themselves on the newly created island began to evolve in a different direction to those that remained on the mainland, developing specific features such as their deadlier-than-usual venom.
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