ISLE OF THE VIPER
Isolated island where humans are BANNED – but is home to thousands of inbreeding snakes with flesh-eating venom
One of these snakes can sell for anywhere between $10,000 to $30,000 on the black market
AN ISOLATED island sits untouched by humans but is home to thousands of inbreeding snakes with flesh-eating venom.
Ilha da Queimada Grande, located about 93 miles off the coast of Brazil from downtown São Paulo, is a place that humans dare not visit
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The remote island is home to an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 golden lancehead snakes—equivalent to 25 to 50 snakes per American Football pitch.
Queimada Grande's snakes are a unique type of pit viper and carry potent venom in their fangs.
The feared species is responsible for 90% of snakebite-related fatalities in Brazil.
The snake's venom can kill a human in less than an hour if not treated with the proper antivenom.
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Golden lanceheads can grow more than half a metre long and contain powerful fast-acting venom that melts the flesh around their bites.
They feed on migratory seabirds who use the remote island as a resting point.
The venom of these deadly snakes evolved to quickly incapacitate and kill birds before they can escape.
Although there are no other ground-level predators on the island, the thousands of snakes have maximized their hunting and survival potential due to the intense competition.
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Golden lanceheads are so dangerous that, except for some scientific groups, the Brazilian Navy has explicitly forbidden anyone from visiting the island.
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Nonetheless, animal collectors and wildlife smugglers have been known to illegally visit the island to capture and sell the exotic snakes on the black market.
Just one golden lancehead can sell anywhere from an eye-watering $10,000 to $30,000.
There are no official records of these snakes biting humans, but locals in the coastal towns near the island share tales of people who have gruesomely died after being bitten.
They claimed a fisherman, who landed on the island in search of bananas, was bitten by the snakes and later found in a pool of blood on his boat.
The locals also revealed that the family of a lighthouse operator living on the island were viciously attacked by multiple snakes who broke into their house.
Marcelo Duarte, a biologist who's visited Snake Island more than 20 times, claimed "You're never more than three feet away from death".
Despite the high density of golden lanceheads on Queimada Grande, these species are actually critically endangered.
Their reproductive efficiency is lower than its mainland relatives.
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