Welcome To Snake Island, The Deadliest Place On Earth

Off the coast of Brazil lies a gorgeous sunbathed island known as Ilha da Queimada Grande.

At first glance, it looks like it could be a great tourist destination. It’s got forests, sunshine, rocky cliffs, and beautiful beaches.

But the island is home to more than Brazil’s typical wildlife. It’s home to the world’s largest population of deadly golden lancehead vipers.

Ilha da Queimada Grande, more famously known as Snake Island, is notorious for quite possibly being the deadliest place on earth.

Nobody lives on the island, which has been taken over by thousands of golden lancehead vipers, snakes with venom that can kill in a matter of hours.

Not only does nobody live on Snake Island, but no one is allowed to visit either! Because of the dangers the snakes pose to visitors, Brazilian authorities prohibit anyone from stepping foot on the island, with exceptions made for the Brazilian navy and conservationists or researchers with the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.

For those few who are permitted to step foot on the island, it’s required that a doctor is also present at all times in case a viper strikes.

According to Science Daily, golden lancehead vipers have venom so potent is can cause kidney failure, brain hemorrhaging, and intestinal bleeding. The venom can kill a grown person in only an hour, but it can take up to 6 hours for its full effects to kick in.

If medical treatment is received promptly following a bite, there’s still a 3% chance the victim will not survive.

While few official reports are documented of snake-human encounters on the island, the Smithsonian reports there are plenty of local reumors about victims who fell to the snakes.

One such rumor goes that a fisherman spotted the island and decided to stop and look for bananas. Days later, his body was found covered in snake bites.

A second rumor ties back to a period when people actually lived on the island. Between 1909 and 1920, the island was home to a lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse was there to warn boats and ships to stay away, but it was short-lived and in 1920, it was deserted in place of an automated lighthouse.

While it’s true that there really was a lighthouse keeper, the rumor has it that the keeper and their family were killed when deadly snakes slithered in through the windows and attacked. Another rumor related to the lighthouse keeper is that they went out to find bananas when food was low and never returned. The snakes picked off his family one by one as they went out to search for him.

Despite their notorious reputation and deadly nature, golden lancehead vipers are actually listed as “critically endangered” according to the National Library of Medicine. Threats to the species include habitat loss (mostly from people starting fires on the island to get rid of the snakes), along with the snakes being targeted for the exotic pet trade.

Check out the video below to see an inside look at a visit to Snake Island, as shown by 60 Minutes Australia: