see this island this is kimada Grande Island from above it looks like a forgotten little piece of Paradise in the middle of the Atlantic a refuge surrounded by the deep blue ocean Untouched by civilization behind the natural beauty however lurks one of the most dangerous places on the planet few have the courage to go near it and rightly so stories about this island have circulated for Generations they say that whoever sets foot there never comes back Legends tell of fishermen and adventurers who got too close and disappeared without a trace the reason snakes lots of
snakes the island is Infested by one of the most lethal snakes in the world there's no sea monster no pirate curse the real terror here crawls among the trees today Bellow Mundo takes takes you to the most dangerous and deadly island in Brazil and perhaps the world Snake Island hold on because this trip promises chills number one location and geographical data just 36 km off the southern coast of sa Paulo there is an island that defies all expectations covered by the Atlantic Forest but without a single strip of sand there's no beach to spread out
your towel or take a dip in the calm sea but I'll tell you the lack of sand is the least of the problems this island is like Nature's Proving Ground full of obstacles and inhabitants who make no bones about sharing space with visitors with an area of 430,000 square m kimada Grande Island is a constant up and down with two elevations that Define the look on one side a discret lighthouse on the other an imposing elevation that reaches 206 M anyone who thinks that the hard part ends with the view is mistaken landing on the
island is a challenge in itself there are no friendly Harbors or Coes arrivals take place on slippery Stone platforms covered in Silt an invitation to fall if you're not paying attention the vegetation is made up of tall dense trees that form a closed forest with caves hidden among the rocks it looks like something out of an adventure movie but believe me the Island's greatest spectacle is not its landscape what really dominates this isolated piece of land are the official inhabitants and when we say inhabitants we mean snakes lots of snakes there are no Rangers or
ecologists on duty here and to tell the truth there's no need who would have the courage to invade a place like this it's no wonder that in 2010 kada Grande Island was voted by the Listverse website as the worst place to visit in the world yes it was above Chernobyl and the mud volcanoes of azerbajan and that's where we're heading today prepare yourself because this destination is not for the faint-hearted number two the origin of the island kimada Grande Island entered the maps in 1,532 when marim aonso dza the same Portuguese soldier who founded s
viente the first town in Brazil passed by during one of his Expeditions and what did he do when he saw the island he stopped hunted some birds and before leaving set fire to everything yes you read that right they set fire to the whole island but why the official version never existed but it is said that fear or perhaps Superstition spoke louder perhaps martim aonso and his troops came across some of the famous snakes that Reign there today whether it was fear bad luck or survival Instinct nobody knows what we can say is that the
practice is caught on burning the island became almost a tradition at the end of the 19th century the Brazilian Navy decided to install a lighthouse there and guess what the lighthouse Keepers who had to live on the island experienced the same Terror snakes were everywhere and the lighthouse Keepers responded with more fire the fires were so intense that it is said the Flames could be seen from the mainland and that's how the island got the name it still Bears today kimada Grande but living surrounded by snakes wasn't just a story to tell even though there
were no records of fatal attacks the presence of snakes was constant and Relentless they were unforgiving they devoured chickens dogs cats and any other animal that the lighthouse Keepers took with them to try to soften their isolated lives you can imagine the suffering can't you the situation lasted until 1925 when the lighthouse was automated and the Navy finally removed the lighthouse Keepers from the island since then the snakes have taken over the territory for good with no one to stand in their way they reign supreme to this day number three fatalities although there are no
official records of deaths the stories that surround kimada Grande Island seem straight out of a horror movie with a good dose of urban legend one of the most famous stories tells of three fishermen who after a failed fishing trip spotted banana trees on the Island Hunger is hunger and the three decided to go ashore to pick some fruit they didn't know they were about to enter forbidden territory they say that two of them were found days later in pools of blood while the third disappeared Without a Trace no boat no body as if the island
itself had swallowed him up but it doesn't stop there another chilling tale involves the lighthouse last operator he lived on the island with his wife and three children one night snakes invaded the house Through the Windows forcing the family to flee in desperation running to the boat they were surprised by more snakes hanging from branches along the way the family never managed to reach the sea if that wasn't disturbing enough one of the most intriguing stories comes from the 1920s a janitor was sent to the island with his wife and 5-year-old daughter when the supply
team arrived to restock the lighthouse they found the door open and the place empty the family was discovered dead on a hillside path to this day day anyone who Ventures onto the island swear as they hear children's laughter mingling with the sound of the wind true or a figment of the imagination only those who have been there know what really happened and as if the horror menu wasn't already complete there are those who say that the island is the guardian of a pirate treasure according to Legend Pirates hid a very valuable chest on the island
leaving the snakes as Guardians to ward off off any adventurers this Theory went so far that it became the subject of the Discovery Channel program ilha Das cobras where experts landed there in an attempt to find the famous Treasure of trindade as fascinating as these stories are the truth behind so many snakes on the island has much less to do with curses and much more to do with Evolution number four snakes ever everywhere the question that won't go away how did this island become a snake Paradise or nightmare believe it or not the residents of
quada Grande Island were trapped there it sounds like something out of a movie but it's pure science it all started around 20,000 years ago during the last ice age the world was very different the sea level was down because much of the water was Frozen at the poles back then the island didn't even exist it was just a continuation of the continent but then came the great natural warming the polar ice caps melted the sea level Rose and the islands separated from the continent like a forgotten piece of the puzzle but there was a problem
some jaras were there at the time of the flood when the water Rose they were stranded with no way back thus began one of the most fascinating evolutionary stories on the planet isolated from the world the Island's snakes followed a completely different path from their Mainland cousins every little detail in their behavior and characteristics was shaped by the need to survive in a unique environment and now that you know how they got stuck it's time to get to know these crawling celebrities number five famous species Islands have always been home to incredible stories from the
Galapagos which inspir Darwin to kimar Grande Island which is second to none when it comes to extreme adaptation this piece of land is the exclusive home of the jaraka iloa or bothrops insularis a snake as unique as it is lethal which only exists there according to biologists from the Bhutan tan Institute who have been studying the island since 1911 quimada Grande has one of the greatest natural snake shows in the world the main protagonist the jaraka IL HOA and what makes it so special simple it has reinvented itself in order to survive separated from the
continent around 10,000 years ago the Lily jarak had to adapt unlike its Mainland cousins which feed on Ro rents this snake's diet is more exotic it hunts migratory birds and we're not talking about just any birds but species that only pass through the island from time to time now here's a curious detail for some reason the jarar rakas don't attack the korua a resident bird that lives on the island all year round it's as if there was a non-aggression Packa strange isn't it scientists are still racking their brains to understand this phenomenon but when the
target is a migratory bird the story changes in order to catch its prey the Lily jarak climbed literally another level in the food chain it has learned to climb trees it is the only snake in Brazil that lives high up balancing on branches to surprise its victims what's more the jaraka IL HOA is a master of dis Skies it swings its tail as if it were a worm or caterpillar the birds without suspecting it approach to take a peak and then it's gone unlike Continental snakes which bite and release their prey to wait for the
poison to take effect the jaraka iloa holds on tight for the bird Escape is almost impossible and the poison there's no forgiveness the jaraka ilho toxin is among the most potent in the world the effects stabbing pains vomiting blood internal bleeding and necrosis The lethality rate reaches an incredible 93% a bite like that leaves no room for regret it's game over the Lily jarak is living proof that in nature those who adapt survive number six appearance of snakes as well as being lethal the Lily jarak also knows how to impress with its looks with a
yellowish coloration that glistens in the sunlight combined with that classic triangular head this snake is not only beautiful it is a true Master of Disguise its perfect camouflage allows it to blend in with the Island's dense vegetation making it practically invisible during the day and yes it it hunts in daylight quietly while the birds fly over unaware of the danger lurking among the branches now here's a curious detail quimada Grande island is also home to another snake the D mouse dipsas manani but let's face it it doesn't even come close to the jaraka IL hoa's
stardom after all we're talking about a snake that has put Kar Grande Island on the map as the place with the highest density of a single species of snake in the world a true spectacle of nature but one that let's face it nobody wants to see up close number seven restricted access kimat Grande is a paradise for biologists and snake lovers but if you're thinking of visiting forget it access to the island is extremely restricted without authorization quada Grande remains just a story you hear from afar and not just because of the snakes although they
are a real threat the decree that limited access to the island was actually an attempt to protect the unique ecosystem of the place on November 5th 1,985 the Brazilian government declared kada Grande and kada P to be areas of relevant EC ological interest the decision helped preserve not only the yaraka IL HOA but also a variety of other animals that depend on the Island's fragile balance such as Birds lizards spiders and insects but calm down that doesn't mean the island is off the radar although the decree doesn't completely ban visits anyone wishing to disembark there
must pass through the C of the special Secretariat for the envir enironment tampering with the Island's environment without authorization is no joke it's an environmental crime and can result in severe penalties but even with this protection the island is still at risk human interference legal or otherwise remains a constant threat number eight risks of Extinction today the population of the Giant jaraka on quada Grand island is around 2,000 snakes according to data from the Brazilian government in 2019 the international Union for conservation of nature known by the acronym iucn estimates that the number could be
as high as 2,500 it may seem like a lot of snakes for a piece of land measuring just 23 hectares but it's worth remembering this is the only place in the world world where this species exists what's worse it could end at any moment even with this apparently stable population the Lily jarak is at risk of Extinction the iucn Red List points to two major threats deforestation and poaching and why would anyone risk their life on an island full of poisonous snakes the answer is simple and absurd money on the Black Market a jaraka IL
HOA can be worth up to $30,000 the Rarity of this snake has made it a real treasure for animal traffickers but while some hunt for profit the impact is devastating for the survival of the species and it's not just hunting that weighs against them since 1920 the Bantan Institute has removed around 830 snakes from the island for scientific research of course these Studies have helped science a lot but there's no denying that taking hundreds of snakes from a limited population may have affected the balance of the species at the end of the day one uncomfortable
question remains who is the real Predator here the snakes for humans or us for them number nine the importance of these snakes the good news is that there is a gigantic effort to ensure that king cobras don't disappear from the face of the Earth every snake found on the island is microchipped a painstaking effort to monitor the population and keep this unique species alive the research there is as fascinating as the snakes divided between ecology molecular biology and reproduction these investigations go far beyond understanding snake Behavior The butantan Institute for example doesn't just study Venom
they look for solutions that can save lives and we're not just talking about anti- snake serum snake venom is a veritable treasure chest for medicine it can be used to create powerful painkillers anti-coagulants and even anti-inflammatory drugs want an example CapTel a drug used to treat high blood pressure was developed from the Venom of bothrops jaraka a continental cousin of the lily of the valley can you imagine what else we might discover what's more scientists are already thinking about the future they're studying ways of reproducing bothrops jaraka in captivity that's right a sort of genetic
Reserve that would act as a plan B in case something happened to the Island's population it sounds like science fiction but it's pure conservation in practice and if you think all this effort isn't worth it think again losing any species is a loss for the planet the Lily jarak with all its lethality is a powerful reminder of how even what scares us can actually save us so the next time you hear about snakes remember this nature is full of surprises and not all of them are bad so what else has left your hair standing on
end about snake island did you know there was such a place where nature decided to add an extra Touch of adrenaline if you enjoyed this trip to one of Brazil's most dangerous and fascinating destinations don't forget to like and follow the channel and turn on notifications there are plenty of chilling stories and unbelievable places in our Bellow Mundo coming up and you don't want to miss them thanks for joining us on this adventure and we'll see you in the next video see you there
