Brazil’s snake island

BRAZIL: World’s deadliest snakes that pluck birds out of the sky and kill them with a venom that can melt human flesh.

According to the media reports, the deadliest snake island is situated near lha de Queimada Grande 20 miles (32 km) off the coast of Sao Paolo, Brazil, which is home to the golden lancehead viper.

The predominant theory is that 11,000 years ago sea levels rose and separated the island from Brazil, which left the snakes on the island with limited sources of food save for migrating birds.

In fact, the island is deemed so dangerous that visiting it was been banned by the Brazilian government – although not before numerous people foolishly ventured there in the past.

Ilha de Queimada Grande, understandably nicknamed ‘Snake Island’, is a piece of land 4,630 square feet (430 square metres) in size. The species has a light yellowish brown colour on its underside. It grows to an average length of 28 inches (70 centimetres) but can reach a maximum of 46 inches (118 centimetres). Its venom can eat flesh and tissue, making prey easier to swallow, while a neurotoxin kills the prey.

Its diet consists mostly of birds, although it has been reported to eat lizards and even cannibalise on other snakes. It is also visited on occasion by the Brazilian navy, who tend to the autonomous lighthouse that was built back in 1909 before scampering clear.

The reason the viper has become so deadly is somewhat of a mystery, though.