Snake Island of Queimada Grande (Ilha de Queimada Grande)
Snake Island of Queimada Grande is a small piece of land in the south of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, located in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This elongated island is considered one of the most unfriendly and dangerous places on the planet. Queimada Grande is at the mercy of venomous snakes and holds the status of the largest natural serpentarium in the world.
Video: Keimada Grande Snake Island
ContentsHighlights
The snake island of Keimada Grandi has an area of 43 hectares and rises 200 meters above sea level. It is covered with lush vegetation and is uninhabited. There are no hotels or restaurants, and only a lonely white lighthouse on the shore reminds that people once lived on the island. Brazilians are wary of Queimada Grandi and call it “the island of death”. Some hesitate to even swim to its shores, let alone land on the island itself.
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Keimada Grande is home to one of the most venomous snakes on the planet, the island botrops or spearhead snake, which belongs to the viper family. The territory of the snake island of Keimada Grandi is literally swarming with reptiles, and their population reaches up to 5000 individuals. It is noteworthy that spearhead snakes live only on this Brazilian island, that is, they are endemic.
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The Brazilian authorities gave this piece of land the status of a nature reserve and introduced an official ban on visiting the island for locals and tourists. However, even without this ban, there is no one who would dare to risk his life for the sake of new impressions and experiences. The snake island of Keimada Grandi is considered one of the most unusual reserves on the planet, the history of which is covered with tragic legends and rumors.
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Because of the real threat to life and health, travelers are only brought to the shore, but are not dropped off on the island itself. In addition to tourist and pleasure boats, fishermen and divers are often found near Keimada Grandi. Once a year, Brazilian military personnel land on the island and come to do maintenance work on the lighthouse.
.Legends of Keimada Grande Island
There are many legends about the serpentine island of Keimada Grandi. One of them tells of sea pirates who once landed on the green island to hide their treasure among the rocks. The pirates released some snakes on land to guard the treasure from outsiders. Gradually the snakes multiplied, took over the whole island and made it very dangerous for people.
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Another legend tells of a hapless fisherman who, hungry, docked at the shore to bask in the sun and eat exotic fruits. As soon as the fisherman set foot on the island, he was bitten by a poisonous snake. The unfortunate man only had enough strength to get to his boat, where he died. Then, when other fishermen passed by the island, they found the boat with the corpse rocking near the shore on the waves of the sea.
A third legend tells of the keeper of the island lighthouse and his family, which consisted of a wife and three daughters. At night, while the people were sound asleep, many snakes came through the windows into their dwelling. The terrified caretaker and his family fled to the nearby forest, but were attacked by the snakes and died from snake bites. Later, the military docked to the shore of the island and discovered their bodies. Since then, the lighthouse on Keimada Grandi has been rebuilt and converted to automatic operation, which does not require the constant presence of people.
.The island has been tried by Brazilian businessmen who want to establish banana plantations on it. The workers they hired tried to burn the forest and shrubbery, but snakes bit people, and they were forced to leave for the mainland. In any case, the victory on the snake island of Keimada Grandi always turned out to be for the reptiles.
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Today, only herpetological scientists dare to visit these inhospitable places, but even they have to be very careful and take all safety measures to avoid snake bites. The Brazilian government requires that every scientific expedition must have a doctor on board to provide medical attention to the injured.
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Snakes
The venom of spear-headed snakes is so strong that it can dissolve human flesh after a bite. It causes severe gastrointestinal bleeding, rapid tissue necrosis, acute kidney failure, and brain bleeding. Unfortunately, any antidotes against such a strong venom are ineffective. In 7% of cases, an island botrops bite in humans is fatal, while a mouse dies within 2-3 seconds after encountering the snake.
.Island botrops have a massive broad head and reach sizes of 0.7-1 meters, rarely growing to 1.18 meters. They feed on other snakes, lizards, frogs, and millipedes. In addition, spearhead snakes kill migratory birds, which, unaware of the danger, sit down to rest on tree branches and rocks. A bird dies almost instantly from a snake bite before it even has time to take off. It is believed that the venom of island botrops is so strong because they cannot find enough food on the island.
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Spearhead snakes can be seen everywhere on Keimada Grande. They lie in balls on the sand, inhabit cliffs overhanging the sea and crawl from tree to tree in search of food. The reptiles are so abundant under the forest canopy that a quiet rustling is constantly heard in the island forest. The whisper-like sounds are made by hundreds of crawling snakes. The reason for such a large number of snakes is the absence of natural enemies. There are no predators on the island to curb the growth of the snake population.
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Almost all spearhead snakes spend most of their lives in trees and low shrubs. The reptiles like to hide in the foliage, so it can be difficult to notice them even at close range. But it is very easy to provoke aggressive behavior, accidentally touching a branch with your hand or stepping on a snake in the grass.
.How to get there
The snake island of Keimada Grandi is located 35 kilometers from the mainland. Tourist boats to the island run from the seaside town of Santos, which is connected by bus to the major Brazilian city of São Paulo.
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