Ilha da Queimada Grande (SNAKE ISLAND)

 

University of Sao Paulo researcher Marcio Martins holds one snake while watching another, a deadly venomous snake living only on Queimada Grande Island, Atlantic Forest, Brazil. 

There are some breathtaking places in the Latin American country of brazil  . the Ilha da Queimada Grande seems to be a very beautiful place a first glance , but this place is actually one of the most dangerous places in the world and that is because of the life form that inhabits it. This island is filled with 2000 to 4000 lancehead vipers , one of the most venomous and dangerous snakes in the world .

The viper's 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 shore of "snake island" . There was a rumor that a fisherman landed on that island in search of bananas , only to be discovered dead on his boat with numerous snake bites . 

From 1909 to 1920 , people lived on that island to operate the lighthouse . But according to another rumor , the last lighthouse keeper , along with his entire family died when some snakes slithered into his home through the windows .

Although it is true that some snakes were put on the island by pirates to protect their gold , majority of the snakes evolved without any human intervention . Around 11,000 years ago , the water level rose and isolated this island from the mainland . This forced the species of the snakes that lived there to grow and evolve differently than their brethren on the main land . 

The snakes that were stranded on the island had no ground predators , so they reproduced quickly . They also faced a challenge - they had no ground level food . to find food , the snakes slithered upwards , preying on the migratory birds that visited the island .

Because of the dangerous nature of the island , the Brazilian government strictly controls the visits to this island . Even without a government ban , the island wouldn't be a popular tourism spot : the snakes on the island exist in such a high concentration that some estimates claim that there's one snake for every square meter . 

Because of black market demand of scientists and animal collectors , wildlife smugglers are known to visit the island . they trap the snakes and then sell through illegal channels , each lancehead vipers is sold between $10,000 to $30,000 . The population of the snakes has been reduced by 50 percent in the last 15 years due to this . 

Whilst this may be true , the fact remain that this is one of the world's most dangerous islands and one should think twice before planning a vacation here.