Queimada Grande is a small island in the south of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, washed on all sides by the Atlantic Ocean. The island's rocks are covered with lush vegetation, dominated by fruit trees, but it is completely deserted. Local residents fear Queimada Grande like fire and call it “the island of death”: rarely does anyone even dare to approach its shores, let alone set foot on the coast. The thing is that the island of Queimada Grande is in complete control poisonous snakes and is considered the largest natural serpentarium on the planet, therefore it is protected by the authorities as a nature reserve.
(Bothrops insularis) is one of the most dangerous venomous snakes on Earth. Behind last years The population of these snakes has increased significantly - the only consolation is that they are found only on this small Brazilian island. The snake's venom, entering the victim's body, completely paralyzes it and causes rapid tissue necrosis: they begin to disintegrate literally before our eyes, causing unbearable pain. Any Living being, bitten by bothrops, dies very quickly: for example, the mouse dies within just 2-3 seconds after the bite! In addition to this species, there are other species of snakes on the island. Queimada Grande is simply teeming with these reptiles.
Bird's eye view of Queimada Grande Local residents tell many legends about this island. One of them tells the story of an unlucky fisherman who landed on an island to eat some fruit and, naturally, was bitten by bothrops. The man could only run to his boat, where he died. Some time later, other fishermen, sailing by, discovered a boat with a corpse, rocking on the waves off the coast of the ill-fated island. Another story tells of a lighthouse keeper who once stood on the island and his family. At night, while these people were sleeping, their house was overrun by snakes. Waking up, the family tried to leave the island in panic, but they were unable to escape from it: everyone died. Later, military personnel moored off the coast of the island discovered their bodies. The beacon has since been replaced by an automatic one.
The Brazilian authorities have officially prohibited visiting Queimada Grande, but it is already very unlikely that any daredevil would decide to visit this island in search of adventure - such an adrenaline hunt would probably cost him his life. The island bothrops lives its entire life on trees or low bushes, merging with the foliage, so it is very difficult to notice it, but it is easy to provoke it into an attack by touching the branches on which the snake is lying with your foot or shoulder.
Special permissions are issued only to serpentologists or film crews specializing in similar topics. Naturally, they all have sufficient experience and many necessary equipment, which includes protective suits and other necessary equipment.
Queimada Grande can easily be called one of the most unique nature reserves on the planet, surrounded by legends and deaths. It will be very interesting to see it from the deck of a ship, but it’s probably not worth swimming to the shore.
This is interesting: Do you know the place where the most snakes live on Earth? Reading.
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Queimada Grande is a real snake paradise located near Brazil, Sao Paulo region, in Atlantic Ocean. This is an island where getting out alive is just a stupid wish. You will not survive visiting this land. This is not a challenge at all, it's just a warning.
What does snake hell mean?
IN warm waters The Atlantic is lonely green Island. A person who does not know what is on this piece of land is sure that it is real paradise. There are no shops, hotels, residential buildings, schools, kindergartens or other institutions on the snake land. This is a completely deserted land. Snakes have literally taken over the island and are its rightful owners. There are from 1 to 5 reptiles per 1m2. The area is literally teeming with them. Bothrops lie in their hundreds on the banks surrounding the green forest. If you swim past, you will see entire nests of snakes on trees and bushes. By the way, fishing and diving are allowed nearby.
Island bothrops
Island bothrops or spear-headed snake. This is the name given to a deadly predator that lives on hidden land. It is small, its length generally reaches one meter. But there is enough poison in the snake for a whole company of strong soldiers. Bothrops prefers trees and bushes, that is, places where it can quickly hide and attack from. The snake is incredibly aggressive, and its venom causes instant tissue death. A person literally begins to decompose when poison enters the body. The color of the snake is not provocative, but its color is quite impressive. It is usually light brown, golden or yellow with dark triangles or spots along the length of the body.
The snake reproduces due to intersexuality. This means that females also develop male reproductive organs. This happens in nature when the population of a certain area is limited. Just imagine how fast reproduction occurs. And one female gives birth to six (!) cubs at once. Agree, nature is crazy!
There is a legend that bothrops snakes appeared on the island of Queimada Grande thanks to pirates to guard treasures.
What do the inhabitants of the island eat?
You are definitely surprised that the island is overflowing with snakes, of which there are only more and more. What do the islanders eat, since entry into their house is strictly prohibited? The answer is simple - migratory birds. Winged animals that are in search of food or a new place to live often stop on this land to gain strength and find food. Birds don't expect this to be their last stop in life. Be a bird for a second. Finally, seeing a dry piece of earth, you sit on a tree branch. And at this moment thousands of hungry eyes are looking at you. There's no need to continue... It's a terrible sight, isn't it?
Death on the island of Queimada Grande
If you think that Queimada Grande has been deserted since its formation, you are mistaken. On the “snake land” there is a lonely lighthouse - the only structure. In the last century, a man lived on the island with a family consisting of a wife and three daughters. He was a lighthouse keeper. Yes, his family was informed about what was beyond the walls of the building, but they were extremely careful. Until a specific time. One night, snakes began to crawl into the caretaker’s windows like a river. The family tried to escape by running into the forest. But there the situation only worsened. The snakes hanging in clusters from the trees attacked all five members of the family, who deadly poison They just rotted alive. Their bodies were found on the island a little later.
Have you heard the story about the fisherman? The man stopped in the “snake kingdom” to eat some fruit. He was bitten by snakes at that very moment. Having managed to reach the boat, he died right in it.
Do not consider this land as a vacation option. Snakes don’t need much – one step from the boat to the island and you’re gone. You will be attacked instantly, and death will occur within a matter of moments.
How to get to the island of Queimada Grande?
It is strictly not recommended to visit the island; it is illegal and you will be fined. It's not strange that nowadays you can meet people who like to take such big risks! Entry to snakes is allowed to biologists and no more than once a month. These people are risking their lives for us. So that we can read the exciting stories of the "snake island".
The island of Queimada Grande (in the original Ilha da Queimada Grande) in Brazil could become an excellent resort, if not for one big BUT. It is inhabited by thousands of poisonous snakes. That is why it is often called Snake Island.
Where is
Snake Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean 35 kilometers off the coast of Brazil in the municipality of Peruibe, Sao Paulo state. The island lies between the towns of Itanhai and Peruibe.
Geographic coordinates -24.487060, -46.674671
Some statistics
The island has an elongated shape from north to south. Its length is up to 1.67 km and its width is up to 600 meters. total area does not exceed 0.43 km 2. The maximum height above sea level is 206 meters.
Slightly more than half of the island is covered with forests. The remaining areas are barren areas mainly in the southeastern part of the island. The coast is rocky and quite steep.
The climate of the island is subtropical, quite comfortable and even hot. The average air temperature ranges from 18 o C in August to 27 o C in March. There is little precipitation, from 2 millimeters per month in July to 135.2 millimeters in December.
The island was discovered in 1532 by the expedition of Martim Afonso de Sousa.
The most dangerous island in the world
It would seem that such conditions are simply bound to make the island of Queimada Grande the second. The mild climate, tropical forests and boundless ocean are all very popular among tourists. But, no, this island has not become a cozy resort, because snakes do not allow people here.
Most great danger represents the island bothrops (Bothrops insularis). This is one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. There are thousands of them here. Counting snakes on the island is almost impossible. Firstly, it is very dangerous, and secondly, snakes are almost constantly moving in search of food.
Interesting fact— Island bothrops rarely exceeds 1 meter in length. In conditions tropical forests, it can be subtle and therefore even more dangerous.
How many snakes are there on the island?
Some estimates suggested that there were about 430,000 snakes living on the island. That's at least one snake for each square meter surfaces. But the latest estimates say that there are no more than 4-5 thousand snakes on the island. Basically, they all live in the forest, with virtually no access to the coast.
Such photographs are often associated with the island of Queimada Grande, but snakes rarely gather in such groups there 
Interesting fact - Despite the densely populated snake island, this species as a whole is on the verge of extinction. Therefore, it is protected by the state.
It is possible that the snake population has declined significantly due to food shortages. Snakes on the island have no natural enemies. Therefore, at first they multiplied very much and simply ate all the small animals in the area. Then food became scarce. As a result of this, the island bothrops began to produce poison 5 times stronger than its mainland counterpart. A mouse dies from a bite from bothrops in just 2 seconds. The bitten person experiences severe pain. If help is not provided in time, he may die.
Nowadays the main diet of snakes consists of migratory birds, who periodically fly to the island. 41 bird species have been recorded here.
It is worth noting that poachers have also had a hand in reducing the number of snakes. Island bothrops is highly prized in Brazil. Therefore, some people literally risk their lives to hunt the snakes of the island of Queimada Grande.
In addition to venomous snakes, the island also has a small population of non-venomous snakes of the Dipsas albifrons family.
Why are there so many snakes here?
According to scientists, snakes appeared on the island a long time ago, at least 9-11 thousand years ago. Then it was connected to the mainland by an isthmus.
People did not like the dangerous proximity to poisonous snakes. They tried in every possible way to dislodge the snakes from their territory - they burned forests and drained swamps. The snakes were forced to gradually retreat along the isthmus to the island.
Later, during geological processes, the land connection with the mainland was severed. The isthmus flooded with water, and the snakes were trapped on the island.
Interesting fact - There is a legend according to which snakes appeared on the island thanks to pirates. The robbers buried countless treasures here. To protect them, the island was populated with poisonous snakes, which over time filled it all.
Horror stories of the island of Queimada Grande
A lighthouse was built on the island in 1909. It has operated automatically since 1925, but previously a caretaker and his family lived here.
They say that snakes snuck into the caretaker's house at night. In horror, the whole family ran outside, but no one managed to escape. Hundreds of snakes attacked people in the forest.
When the lighthouse stopped working, the military arrived here and found the bodies of all members of the lighthouse keeper's family, completely bitten by snakes. The lighthouse itself was filled with thousands of snakes.
There is a story about a dead fisherman found in his own boat. It is said that he was fishing that day near the island of Queimada Grande. Most likely, he landed on the island, but was immediately attacked by snakes. The fisherman made it to the boat, but not to the house. He died in agony in the middle of the ocean.
In fact, all this is NOT TRUE. None real evidence neither in the first nor in the second case.
Man against the snakes of Queimada Grande
People wanted to clear the island of snakes under banana plantations. It was planned to burn down the forests and thereby clear the area and get rid of the snakes.
It must be said that at first we managed to burn out a small area of the forest. The name of the island "Queimada" means "scorched" in Portuguese.
But the snakes came to the defense of their last refuge. They attacked workers en masse. And not only from the ground, but also from the trees. You remember that bothrops' diet includes birds. This is why snakes are excellent at climbing trees.
The man did not retreat. Workers began to be dressed in special durable rubber suits. Yes, the snakes couldn’t bite them. Here the tropical climate of the island came to the aid of the snakes. People were simply suffocating in such clothes, their hearts were working to the limit, and heat exchange was completely disrupted. There have even been several deaths caused by cardiac arrest. And the people retreated.
Fortunately for snakes, they are still winning in confrontations with humans.
Looks like this the only example that animals have displaced humans from their habitat Pay attention to the village. This is a real Snake Village. But unlike Queimada Grande, in Le Mat snakes are raised like chickens.
Queimada Grande Island in tourism
Since 1985, Snake Island has been completely closed to the public.
The only people allowed to land on the island are scientists, researchers, and sometimes film crews from leading science channels.
Despite the formal inaccessibility of the island, curious tourists still try to visit here. Usually excursion boats simply sail close to the coast. Although for decent money they can organize a small tour of the island, but only along the shore and only in overalls.
The islet of Queimada Grande, located off the coast of Brazil, is home to thousands and thousands of snakes. The island is included in the list of the most dangerous places on Earth.
Only the most desperate, whatever... stupid tourists will want to visit this ill-fated point on the world map.
1. One of the country's development companies planned to plant a banana plantation. It didn't work out.
2. The Brazilian Navy forbade anyone to even set foot on this island, let alone engage in agriculture.
Restricted area. No entry. Photography is prohibited.
3. The island has the world's largest concentration of various species of snakes.
4. The reptiles live off migratory birds, which use the island as a refuge during long flights.
5. The island is known as the habitat of one of the most dangerous snakes in the world - the island bothrops.
Its bite causes rapid tissue necrosis, acute kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, cerebral bleeding, death in 7% of cases. According to statistics, the island botrops is to blame for 90% of human deaths in Brazil.
6. Per 1 sq.m. The island territory has from 1 to 5 snakes.
7. Island bothrops grows a good half meter in length.
8. Snake venom is very fast-acting and melts the skin around the bite.
9. One unenlightened fisherman landed on the island just to collect bananas. He was immediately bitten and later found in a boat in a huge pool of blood.
10. The last lighthouse keeper and his entire family, his wife and two children, were bitten by snakes that entered the room through the window.
When people tried to leave the island, snakes attacked them straight from the trees and bushes. Unfortunately, the family never managed to escape. Since then, a lighthouse has been installed on the island, operating in automatic mode.
Biologists have named the most dangerous island in the world, which is impossible to visit on your own due to the huge number of poisonous snakes densely inhabiting a small area of land.
The island of Queimada Grande, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, is also called Snake Island. It would seem that this place is a real piece of paradise, but this impression is deceptive. Visiting this island is akin to suicide!
Square mysterious place is only 430 square kilometers. And only scientists visit the island, because it is infested with snakes. Biologists have calculated that it is home to about four thousand species, including the most dangerous snake for humans, bothrops. One bite of this baby can lead to death in a matter of minutes. This individual usually feeds on rodents and birds.
found on it great amount poisonous snakes, many species of which are found only in this place. Brazilians themselves rarely know official name islands. 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. On this moment there is not a single resident living there permanently human soul. 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 natural history closed area due to the presence of rare and endangered species of snakes. 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
Over the past few years, the only one who has been able to reveal the secret over the island is the Discovery Channel, which filmed 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. Currently, entry to the island is only allowed in in some cases specially trained people and scientists for a more detailed study of some types of dangerous snakes.
Most dangerous look The 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 jararak 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.
Is this entertainment 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 They offer boat trips for desperate tourists past the island and the rocks themselves with a poisonous danger. Many people choose more extreme activities - diving or fishing near this place.
According to rumors, there was once a lighthouse on the island, but after snakes crawled there and killed all the employees, it had to be replaced with an automatic one.
A REAL STORY ABOUT THE DEATH OF A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S FAMILY
They say that one night snakes crawled through the windows into the house where the caretaker’s family (the caretaker himself, his wife and three children) moved in and attacked the sleeping people. Adults and children in panic jumped out of the Lonely Lighthouse on Queimada Grandidoma and ran into the forest, where they were bitten by spearheads hanging in clusters from the trees. When the lighthouse stopped sending signals, a military ship was sent to the island to find out the reasons. The sailors found only the lifeless bodies of family members near the forest, and the lighthouse was swarming with thousands of snakes.
Since then, not a single person has risked living on the serpentarium island; a lighthouse operating in automatic mode has been installed here.
However, on the island all year round are carried out research papers, serpentologists constantly observe the life of reptiles in their natural habitats and make popular science films.
History of Snake Island
According to one theory of the origin of the island, 11 thousand years ago the sea level rose significantly and separated a piece of land from Brazil. The snakes that remained there, despite favorable climatic conditions, found themselves in a very difficult situation (in terms of food), which probably affected the lethality and bloodthirstiness of their future descendants.
Abandoned in complete isolation, the snakes continued their lineage, and were fed by migrating birds that used the island (Queimada Grande) as a transit point during their seasonal travels. Many snakes are excellent tree climbers, so it is not difficult for them to obtain food by hunting birds. From time to time, snakes themselves become prey, mostly young individuals. Cormorants arriving from the coast of Brazil attack baby snakes, while avoiding adults.
If you observe the island from the water, you can see whole balls of snakes calmly basking in the sun on the coastal rocks. At great desire one could try to evict these reptiles from the island.
But the fact is that many of them are on the verge of extinction, and the island of Queimada Grande is the only place where they can be found, so all measures are being taken to protect and protect them, despite the fact that they themselves are also able to stand for myself.
The effect of the island bothrops bite on humans
Bothrops is a very fast, strong and poisonous reptile. Its poison is dangerous not only for animals, but also for humans. Survivors of the bite tell the most creepy stories after an encounter with a snake. The fact is that the bitten places are literally corroded, and the human flesh falls off in whole pieces, and large blood losses also occur, and the person experiences acute painful sensations. After several deaths, attempts to inhabit Queimada Grande (the island of poisonous snakes) stopped.
Unsuccessful attempts to inhabit Snake Island
At the end of the 19th century, several businessmen from the city of Sao Paulo tried to colonize the island. The plans of the entrepreneurs were to set up extensive banana plantations in this area, burn out forests and destroy creeping reptiles. But the true owners of the island showed the colonialists who was boss. Once on the shore, the hired workers were immediately attacked by snakes, from which even high rubber boots could not save them. This round ended in favor of the reptiles.
After some time, colonization was continued by a more prepared group. Work clothes were made according to special technology and protected well from snake bites. However, another unaccounted problem arose here. Queimad Grande (Snake Island), whose inhabitants are photographed in horror, is characterized by a very hot climate, and workers had to make a cruel choice: be bitten or die from suffocation. In such a rubberized suit in the heat, people’s hearts simply could not stand it.
They even tried to burn the island, which was hampered by periodic precipitation. After unsuccessful attempts to recapture the island from the snakes, ownership of it returned to the state. A lighthouse was built on the partially liberated territory, which, however, does not mean that shelter can be found here, but warns that looking here is unsafe for human health, which does not stop curious tourists who want to at least from a distance look at the snake-infested island.
HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY FROM GARDENS?
Having banned access to the most dangerous island on the planet, the Brazilian authorities are still making money on it. Queimada Grande is extremely popular among tourists. They are, of course, not allowed on the island itself, but guides take tourists on boats to a safe, closest distance from the rocky shore. Travelers contemplate with delight and horror the balls of snakes covering the coastal stones, swarming and basking in the sun.
