Ilha da Queimada Grande - The Forbidden Island

The nature is full of beauty and mystery. In this modern age with all our transport facilities, it is easy enough to transport to anywhere you want to experience the taste of local culture and traits. There are though a few number of places that visitors are not allowed to enter. Whether it would be for their safety or the safety of the place. In this post, we will discuss about snake Island that I dare you to visit if you are brave enough.

If you are afraid of snakes, then this is the last place on earth you want to visit, because the forbidden Island, Ilha da Queimada Grande is home to one of the world's most dangerous snakes in the world, located 20 miles south at the cost of São Paulo. The Brazilian Government has banned anyone from visiting this place, but that does not stop a brave few from entering the island.

From a distance it looks like any other ordinary island, but this 4,600,000 sq ft island is the only known habitat of the famous golden lancehead viper also known as Bothrops insularis. There are around 4000 of the snakes wandering around the island searching for prey. These snakes can grow up to 46 inches long. The golden lancehead got this name, because of their distinctive pointed forehead. As far as the island is concerned, they are the dominant predators in this region. Even though Brazilian government banned civilians from entering the island, they built an automated lighthouse in 1901.

How all these snakes ended up here is still a big mystery. The most prominent theory is that they got trapped here when the sea level rose 11,000 years ago. Because of the isolation on the island, the snakes have evolved and developed most fastly acting venom in the world. If the human were to be bitten, they would need immediate medical attention to treat the rapidly melting flesh and high probability of death. Their food source on this island mainly are birds. There are numerous stories about unfortunate people, who got trapped in this island. The original lighthouse keepers were attacked by these snakes and their bodies were found scattered across the island. The island's name itself is the biggest clue to its danger translating as the island of slash-and-burnfire.

COURTESY:

1. Ilha da Queimada Grande, The Snake Island ( http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/10/ilha-da-queimada-grande-snake-island.html )

2. 5 Forbiden Places On Earth WE DARE YOU To Visit (

)

Ilha da Queimada Grande, Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilha_da_Queimada_Grande)