Snake Island, a viper-infested landmass, is teeming with venomous snakes that can kill with a single bite.
The island, so perilous that it’s illegal for anyone to set foot there, is located about 90 miles off the Sao Paulo coast in Brazil, Ilha da Queimada Grande.
It’s home to between 2,000 and 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, one of the deadliest snake species globally. The creatures, which grow up to a foot and a half long, are found nowhere else in the world.
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The viper’s venom is up to five times stronger than most mainland snakes. The golden lancehead’s potent venom is known to melt human flesh and can cause death in less than an hour, reports the Express.
A bite from this deadly creature carries a seven percent chance of death, and even with treatment, victims still face a three percent mortality risk. The venom can lead to kidney failure, muscular tissue necrosis, brain haemorrhage, and intestinal bleeding.
Ilha Queimada Grande, translating to ‘Island of the Great Fire’, gets its name from a tale of visitors trying to use fire to chase away the snakes to gain access to the island.
The island is primarily rainforest, with a solitary lighthouse being its only structure. While no humans currently inhabit the island, a few people lived on Ilha da Queimada Grande from 1909 to the 1920s, tasked with operating the lighthouse.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Brazilian government has almost entirely forbidden access to the feared island, mandating that a doctor must accompany any sanctioned visits.
Despite the restrictions, illegal hunters continue to infiltrate the island, capturing these endangered snakes to sell on the black market – golden lanceheads can fetch up to £23,000.
Local folklore suggests pirates introduced them to guard buried treasure.
However, the less thrilling truth is that rising sea levels over 10,000 years ago transformed the landmass into an island, causing the animals stranded there to evolve differently.
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