The Astonishing Snake Island of Brazil: Ilha da Queimada Grande

Brazil is the largest country in South America. Most of the region of Brazil has a covering of forest. About 93 miles from Sao Paulo is the island of Ilha da Queimada Grande.

People also call this place the Snake Island of Brazil. Many venomous snakes live in this area. Many people in Brazil lost their life in this place of the Atlantic Ocean.

Snake Island of Brazil named Ilha da Queimada Grande
Prefeitura Municipal de ItanhaémCC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

The wonders of nature are also present throughout most of the Amazon and Brazil. The forests here are famous for their unknown and rare plants and animals.

There is thrill and wonder in every step of these jungles. The Snake Island of Brazil is one such island, surrounded by fear and panic among the locals.

Mystery of The Snake Island of Brazil

Many people think there is no chance of returning if anyone dares to enter this area of Brazil. Sao Paulo is the largest population among the cities of this South American country.

This place covers an area of ​​about 110 acres. Researchers thought that island became the victim of isolation from the major cities. It happened due to rising sea levels many years ago.

As a result, many snakes made a home on the isolated land. The rocky place is also rich in vegetation, and there is also a combination of hills and land.

It is also a resting place for various kinds of guest birds. But no people dare to live in this area of the Atlantic Ocean.

There are only different species of venomous snakes that live. Because of this reason, people call this island the Snake Island of Brazil.

There are several snakes, large and small, all over the island. And according to many locals, one to five snakes per square meter are available here. 

There is a lot of panic about this place of a venomous snake. And the name of the snake is Bothrops Insularis, better known as The Golden Lancehead.

The skin of this type of snake has a yellowish tinge, a golden hue in the sun’s rays. As a result, the snakes look a lot like gold. These snakes have a deadly level of venoms.

The venom of this snake can kill the infected person within an hour. There is no effective antidote to this poison. This type of snake species is available only on Snake Island in Brazil.

These snakes have mentionable lengths. They can range from 70 centimeters to 118 centimeters in length. The birds that come to this place are their food.

But the plenty of prey is not too great at all. Snakes have to hunt with a lot of exercise as the arrival of guest birds at this place is for rest.

Most birds sit on tree branches, and snakes learn to climb a tree to catch prey. Snakes hunt birds, but birds can be aware of the slightest sound.

Once a bird flies, it is difficult to find other prey. And besides the birds, they also eat small reptiles and insects.

There is a kind of panic among the locals of Sao Paulo about the Snake Island of Brazil, and no one dares to go to this island.

Locals in the coastal towns believe many stories about this place. In one story, a fisherman wanders onto the island to pick bananas. The venomous golden lancehead has bitten him.

Somehow he returned to his boat, where he faced death because of the venom. People found him sometime later on the boat deck in a great pool of blood.

The authority built a lighthouse in this place in 1909 to help with shipping. From then on, the government sent people there every few days to change the lights of this lighthouse.

The government sent a couple to stay on the island to look after the lighthouse. But there are rumors that snake bites kill everyone. The government then arranged for automatic lighting in the lighthouse.

From then on, a team of the Brazilian Navy goes to change the lights and batteries of the lighthouse. They usually go there in preparation, with gas and medicine.

People can visit this place for research purposes with permission from the Brazilian Navy. But that is not easy at all. No ordinary boat agrees to go there. It takes about 5-6 hours to go.

The Golden Lancehead

If it is about an ordinary snake, no one may consider it. But a venomous species of snake lives there. The snakes on Ilha da Queimada Grande are a unique species of pit viper.

The lancehead genus of snakes causes 90 percent of Brazilian snakebite-related fatalities. These venomous snakes that occupy the land grow over half a meter long.

They have deadly venom that melts the flesh around their bites. The venom of this species evolved due to the need to kill seabirds. The ecosystem shelters hundreds of competitors.

The Golden Lancehead
NayeryouakimCC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The deadly venom of snake species maximizes its potential to feed and survive. Many people want to visit this dangerous area to see the venomous reptile.

It is not a good idea at all. Anyone can see Golden lanceheads in the Butantan Institute in São Paulo in the Serpentarium.

But it is necessary to ask the authority to see it. Or, anyone can go to the São Paulo zoo, which has an enclosure that contains five adult lanceheads.

Conclusion

There are many beautiful natural wonders in this country of South America. This dangerous place, Fernando de Noronha, and the Amazon rainforest are among them.

The island is unique as it is the only place where the golden lancehead pit viper is available. This place has deadly inhabitants, without any doubt.

But it plays a significant role in many studies. The study includes the golden lancehead pit viper and the ecosystem of the whole area.

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