There are many notorious places in the world. Even at the mention of them, blood freezes, and imagination draws all sorts of horrors. Has such an attraction and Brazil. The island of snakes is the most terrible piece of land known to the world, this is the place where mortal danger lies in wait under every tree, on every square meter. It comes not from invented ghosts or non-existent monsters, but from very real snakes.
Rumor has it that they even bit to death the family of the lighthouse keeper, including his three daughters. Locals say that there were a hundred bites on the bodies of the unfortunate. The lighthouse was left here, only now automatic, and the island with snakes in Brazil was forbidden to visit absolutely all categories of citizens. The exception is people who sometimes need to check the serviceability of the lighthouse, and scientists. But they must also receive special permission to set foot on this unfriendly piece of land.
Snake Island (Brazil): Description
This kingdom of horror and oblivion, officially called Keimada Grande, lies less than 22 miles west of the Brazilian shores. The intriguing islet rises above the surface of the Atlantic Ocean by only 210 meters. Its area is very small, approximately 437 square meters, and even that, including rocky ledges from the southern end. The coast of the island is steep and impregnable, as if nature itself hints at people: they don’t need here. Nevertheless, Keymada Grandi is very picturesque. Its lush green tropical vegetation, densely covering the hills, contrasts spectacularly with the golden cliffs, promising gorgeous photos. In the southern part, the very unfortunate lighthouse rises into the sky with a white finger. All this is bathing in the blue-blue ocean waters.
Hissing Aborigines
The island of snakes in Brazil broke away from the mainland 11,000 years ago, which made it possible only here and nowhere else on Earth to survive snakes of the form of Island Botrops. Forced to find themselves in an ecosystem from which there is no chance to escape, the reptiles ate everything that moved, and left without natural enemies, multiplied to disgrace. Now there are 6 of them per square meter. Given the fact that the bastards crawled across the island unevenly, somewhere they are not at all, and somewhere they gather in balls of 20 or more specimens. A favorite activity of the Botrops is to sit in a tree in ambush and pounce on their victim from a height. The main course of their menu is birds that fly to Snake Island in Brazil to nest. Reptiles diversify the diet with lizards, amphibians and scorpions.
Lifestyle
The island botrops, or the golden spear-headed snake, in its tiny kingdom is faced with difficulties not only in obtaining food, but also in procreation. All individuals here are close relatives, because on the island of snakes in Brazil do not sail outsiders even for mating. Due to the acute shortage of “suitors”, snakes of this species are hermaphrodites, both males and females. The epithet "golden" was assigned to them due to the golden color of the scales covering the body from the head and, as they say, to the toes. But in captivity, the "gold" becomes gray-brown. Nature scattered several dark stripes over their bodies for disguise. The length of snakes is more than a meter, but more often does not exceed 70 cm. The epithet "spear-headed" was given to them for a flat muzzle pointed at the end. Botrops lead a daily lifestyle, looking for birds among the trees. They begin to mate in March and remain sexually active until the end of June. Kites are born alive. In the nest there can be up to 10 pieces. Young people, perhaps for protection from hungry older comrades, lead a nocturnal lifestyle.
Virulence
It was found that island botrops are the most poisonous among representatives of their species. Their poison is able to kill the middle mouse in 2 seconds, and in mammals at the site of the bite, tissues almost immediately die. Mortality among people is 7%, which is not so little. Moreover, if the bite is immediately administered an antidote, it will help only in 3% of cases. Fortunately, only Snake Island in Brazil is teeming with these ideal killers, so no deaths have been recorded from their teeth. But on the continent there are less toxic relatives of the island botrops. These are killing more than 100 people a year. In order to continue to have no human claims to the golden serpent, the Brazilian government forbade landing on the island. Tourists can take walks only around it on boats and boats.