Island with snakes in Brazil. Horrible scary snake island in brazil

If you want to relax on this island and see it from afar, then think of a good place to spend a pleasant time! But that’s not the case, you won’t be able to live even a day on the island. The name of the island is " Serpentine island"fully lives up to its name! It is home to very poisonous spear-headed snakes, the poison of which causes rapid death and suffering. If you think that you will not encounter snakes, then I dare to assure you that according to scientists, there are from one to five snakes for every square meter. It is forbidden for humans to set foot on this islet off the southwest Brazilian coast - it is forbidden in their own interests. And all this because snakes now live there.

See also Snake Island in Brazil video

Snake Island Brazil- this is exactly the case when there are no hotels or beaches, only forest, an inhospitable rocky coast up to 200 meters high. And in the ratings of terribly dangerous islands - Snake Island in the first days! The island is mainly inhabited by the island botrops, one of the most poisonous snakes. Its poison is very strong and quickly effective, causing instant tissue necrosis. If someone received a bite from this snake and then survived, then after the hospital they talked about unbearably severe pain. Bothrops, or rather its other species, are also found on the coast, throughout South America, causing considerable harm there too. About 100 people die because of it every year. There are 30 different species of Bothrops, and most of them prefer to live in forests, but some do not shy away from human proximity. This snake likes to hide on the paths trodden by humans, and then someone will touch him, and... here you have a bite! This is why humans still often fall prey to these poisonous snakes.

It seems that snakes fiercely protect their domain from humans. This is what allowed them to multiply unimaginably on the island without any hindrance. These snakes cover the ground and are also excellent at crawling through trees; their main prey are small birds. But there are no mammals on the island, since snakes do not need any left neighbors.

Residents of the coast talk in low voices about island of Queymanda Grande chilling stories. We will also retell them - do not hush up the facts, even if they look like a nightmare and a cheap sensation at the same time. See the island of poisonous snakes.
The snakes killed the entire family of the lighthouse keeper there. Like on TV: snakes climbed into the house through the windows, the family began to flee in panic in the forest, and then... Alas. There is still a lighthouse on the island, but it is automatic.

Brazil is a desirable destination for tourists from all over the world. In addition to colorful traditions, eternal summer, carnivals and football, the country is famous for its rather wild and unpredictable flora and fauna, which can pose a great threat to the lives of unprepared people. The snake island in Brazil, which is officially called Queimada Grande, is just such a place.

Island Features

This small piece of land covers an area of ​​only 430 m². However, it is home to a huge number of poisonous snakes, many species of which are found only in this place. Brazilians themselves rarely know the official name of the island. For them, it will forever remain an island of prohibition and danger, or simply Snake Island.

Local legends say that there are 5-6 snakes per square meter of this island.

And those who have been there at least once cannot disagree with this. At the moment there is not a single permanently living human soul there. All people have long ceased to consider this place a habitat, and even for tourists the path there is now completely closed. At the same time, the island continues to be a closed natural area due to the presence of rare and endangered species of snakes on it. The state is doing everything to ensure that the island continues to be in a primitive state, without unnecessary human intervention.

Survival of the Fittest on Snake Island

The only one who over the past few years has been able to reveal the secret over the island has been the Discovery Channel, which made a documentary and showed truly terrifying footage of this place. In addition, residents of neighboring islands can often observe huge snake balls that are located on rocks in warm and sunny places. Today, specially trained people and scientists are allowed to enter the island only in individual cases for a more detailed study of certain types of dangerous snakes.

The most dangerous type of snake on the island is bothrops, which is popularly called jararaka. Their poison can cause complete necrosis of human tissue and rapid death in a matter of minutes. The venom from a jararaka bite is enough to kill a mouse in just a couple of seconds.

The snake kingdom on the island has long lived according to its own laws and rules. Many species of snakes continue to live throughout the territory, in contact with other species, and some prefer to retire and occupy individual territories.

Entertainment is not for the faint of heart

At first glance, the island resembles a secluded corner of paradise, until you learn about it in more detail or see everything with your own eyes. At the moment, local residents offer boat trips for desperate tourists past the island and the rocks themselves with a poisonous danger. Many people choose more extreme entertainment - diving or fishing near this place.

For many centuries, the only structure on the island was a lighthouse, which is simply necessary for safety in this area. For many years it was managed by specialists, and in order not to put their lives at risk, the lighthouse was eventually made automatic.

There is a funny and interesting fact. There is more than one snake island in Brazil! There is another island with a similar name near Rio de Janeiro. However, fortunately, not a single species of snake is found there. Before you go on a trip, carefully study everything and figure out which of these islands you want to go to.

Queimada Grande Island- the forbidden island of Brazil, because on 1 sq. there are 5 poisonous snakes. So says the local legend. Usually legends slightly exaggerate or embellish the facts, but in this case the reality practically coincides with the legend.


About 35 km off the coast of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, lies a rocky island with an area of ​​about 430,000 sq. m. Its official name is Queimada Grande (port. ), although few Brazilians know this name. For them he is just "Snake Island". There are very few places in the world that have such a precise name. Not a single person lives on the island; snakes rule everything.




In some parts of the island, the density of snakes per square meter. m very high. Of course, there are not 5 of them, but only (!) 1, according to a documentary shown several years ago on the Discovery Channel. However, on the coastal rocks you can also see whole balls of snakes, which are clearly visible from the boat. Maybe humanity would still have survived someday if these snakes had not been endangered. Among the large number of snakes on the island, the main predominant island bothrops(lat. Bothropoides insularis), second name. The island of Queimada Grande is the only place where they are found, so the state carefully protects these reptiles.







Island bothrops is one of the most poisonous snakes in the world

From afar, the island resembles a lost paradise, but nothing could be further from reality. Not only are there a lot of island bothrops, but they are also one of the the most poisonous snakes in the world. After this phrase, the image of heaven disappears in an instant. The bite of the island jararaka causes necrosis of muscle tissue. Its poison is very dangerous. A mouse, for example, dies within 2 seconds. Visiting the island is currently prohibited. Sometimes, in special cases, access is given to scientists.



But you can ride a boat around the island, explore it from a safe distance, go fishing and diving.







The only structure on the island is lighthouse, which was monitored by a caretaker until the beginning of the 20th century. A brave guy, I guess. Later the lighthouse was made automatic. Currently, the Brazilian Navy is responsible for maintaining the lighthouse.



Interesting fact that in Brazil there is another Snake Island, but without snakes. It is located in another state, in Rio de Janeiro. Don't get confused.




4 November 2017, 15:22


By tradition, I remind you how this mess started. It all started with this post -. You can already read about three prohibited places: , .

Today we will talk about the most dangerous place on our list - the island of Queimada Grande. It is located near the Sao Paulo district of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The island's territory is small, approximately 0.43 km2, and its height is about 200 meters.

There are beautiful landscapes here, which are filled with beautiful rocks, wonderful vegetation and a magnificent beach that is washed by the endless ocean. The climate on the island of Queimada Grande is quite satisfactory all year round. But there are no conditions for recreation and tourism for a terrible reason - poisonous snakes.

It is forbidden for humans to set foot on this islet off the southwest Brazilian coast - it is forbidden in their own interests. According to scientists, there are from one to five snakes for every square meter of this piece of land. And these are very poisonous spear-headed snakes, the poison of which causes rapid death and suffering.

Scientists obtained such data after conducting many studies and calculations. The numbers seem unrealistic, since not a single rodent could escape from so many crawling predators, and due to lack of food, all snakes should simply have died out.

But the local snakes do not need mice or other rodents; they feed on the numerous migratory birds that land on the island in search of rest and food. That is why the venom of snakes has become several times stronger over time. Because having bitten a bird, it no longer flies away, but falls dead - and the paralyzed victim becomes dinner for the snakes. Reptiles climb into nests and eat the chicks.


One of the most dangerous inhabitants of Snake Island is the island Bothrops, whose bite provokes almost instantaneous necrosis of living tissue. Snake venom can cause kidney failure, necrosis of muscle tissue, bleeding in the brain and intestines, and rotting of the body to the very bones, causing terrible pain. Judging by the chemical composition, the snake’s venom is 5 times more dangerous than its mainland counterparts.

Some legends say that the snakes were brought to the island by pirates who wanted to protect their gold from the wrong hands. But in fact, the island's snake population density has been increasing over thousands of years without any human intervention. About 11,000 years ago, sea levels rose to such a level that they were able to isolate the island of Queimada Grande from mainland Brazil.

Back in the 19th century, colonialists tried to settle in Queimada Grande, but the workers were constantly attacked by snakes, biting through rubber boots and clothes. We had to wear durable rubberized suits, but in the heat people fainted. Then businessmen simply wanted to burn the vegetation on the island. And again failure! Heavy rains prevented this from happening. This is how the snake kingdom was preserved in its original form.

There is an automatic lighthouse on the island. Once upon a time, a watchman worked at the lighthouse and lived here with his family. In the middle of the night, snakes entered the caretaker's house. The family tried to escape by running through the bushes to the boat, but all attempts were in vain. Soon the lighthouse stopped sending signals and the authorities sent a ship to find out the reasons. The sailors found only lifeless bodies near the lighthouse; the lighthouse itself was infested with snakes that crawled through the open window.

And one fisherman, seeing the beauty of the island, wanted to enjoy exotic fruits and lie in the sun. But it was not there. As soon as he stepped onto the island, he was immediately attacked by snakes. Frightened, he reached his boat and died a painful death, bleeding. They found him in the boat, and the deck was covered in blood.

Since 1985, this land has been declared a protected area or natural serpentarium. The island is also an important natural laboratory for biologists and researchers, who have received special permission to visit Queimada Grande to study snakes. The Brazilian government requires that whenever a visit to the island is made, a doctor must always be with the research team in case of sudden snake attacks on people.

Also, the Brazilian fleet makes an annual stop on the island to maintain the lighthouse.

Having banned access to the most dangerous island on the planet, the Brazilian authorities are still making money on it. Tourists are, of course, not allowed on the island itself, but guides take them on boats to a safe, closest distance from the rocky shore. In hot weather, snakes curl up into balls and bask in the sun. And they can be observed from the water. You can also not only take a boat ride and explore the island from a safe distance, but also go fishing and diving.

Despite the fact that travelers are strictly prohibited from visiting the island, some extreme sports fans still manage to get to it. Local residents secretly organize dangerous excursions around the island of Queimada Grande for a decent amount of money. But for a walk you need to wear special equipment that will protect your body from deadly snake bites.

Based on materials from: darkbook, newsinmir, euromapa, planetofdream

Brazil has many amazing places. The island of Queimada Grande, about 90 miles off the coast of Sao Paulo, appears to be another one of these beautiful spots - at first glance. Almost every Brazilian knows about the island, but most of them are not eager to visit it - it is home to from 2,000 to 4,000 poisonous vipers, one of the deadliest snakes on the entire planet.

Horrifying stories

The venom of these vipers can kill a person in less than an hour, and numerous local legends tell of the terrible fates that met those who wandered the shores of Snake Island. Rumor has it that a fisherman landed on the island in search of bananas - only to be found a few days later in a boat, dead in a pool of blood and with multiple snake bites on his body.

From 1909 to the 1920s, several people lived on the island to operate the lighthouse. According to legend, the last lighthouse keeper died along with his family when snakes slithered into his house through the windows.

Appearance of vipers

Some claim that pirates brought the reptiles to the island in hopes of protecting their gold. In fact, a dense population of island bothrops has evolved over thousands of years without human intervention. Around 11,000 years ago, the sea rose enough to cut off Queimada Grande from mainland Brazil. As a result, the species of snakes living on the island evolved along a different path than their mainland brothers.

There were no predators on Queimada Grande, which allowed the vipers to multiply rapidly. To find food, the snakes rushed upward, hunting migratory birds. Often spearheads chase their prey and, after biting, wait for the venom to do its work. But golden vipers can't track birds, so they've developed an incredibly powerful and effective venom that's three to five times stronger than any snake on earth.

Ban on visiting Snake Island

Due to the threat, Brazilian authorities strictly control travel to Queimada Grande. But even despite the government ban, the island will not become a major tourist destination: in some places the concentration of snakes is from 1 to 5 per square meter. A bite from a golden spearhead carries a seven percent chance of death, and even with an antidote, victims still have a three percent chance of dying. Snake venom can cause kidney failure, necrosis of muscle tissue, brain hemorrhage and intestinal bleeding.

Brazilian authorities strongly request that doctors be present for any legally authorized visits. The Brazilian fleet makes an annual stop on the island to maintain the lighthouse, which has been switched to automatic mode since the 1920s. Queimada Grande is considered an important laboratory for biologists and scientists, who are given special permission to visit the island to study golden spearheads.

Black market and illegal trade

Due to black market demand from scientists and animal collectors, smugglers known as biopirates visit Queimada Grande. They catch snakes and sell them through illegal channels - one golden viper can cost between 10 and 30 thousand dollars. Habitat degradation and disease have also damaged the island's population, which has declined by nearly 50 percent over the past 15 years, according to some estimates. The snake is currently endangered and is included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.