Even in the biblical paradise, Adam and Eve had to deal with an unpleasant resident. The serpent tempted Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge – and so the mess began. An island about 30 kilometers off the Brazilian south-east coast has similar paradisiacal conditions – including biting fauna.
It is not for nothing that Queimada Grande is also called the “Island of Death”. A lot of poisonous snakes live there, which make a visit to the island almost impossible. As various sources report, around 15,000 island lance vipers lived on the 0.43 square kilometer small island at the beginning of the 20th century. This makes Queimada Grande de facto uninhabitable, at least for humans.
They at least tried their hand at being lighthouse keepers, but none of them are said to have survived. In the meantime, it has been switched to automatic and the island has been placed under nature protection. Humans are persona non grata and are not allowed to enter the island. There are only exceptions for researchers.
These have a special interest in the endemic snake population. The island lance viper (Bothrops insularis) is a member of the pit viper family. It is 70 cm long, light brown to golden in color and highly poisonous. Tests have shown that the poison kills mice within two seconds. However, due to the isolated location, the snake population is not at its best. Inbreeding results in hereditary disorders and a small gene pool.
Either way, Queimada Grande remains a place that, especially from afar, resembles paradise.
