Why is the island 'Ilha da Queimada Grande' banned from human population?

Off the shore of Brazil, almost 93 miles away from downtown São Paulo, is 'Ilha da Queimada Grande', also known as “Snake Island.” The island is untouched by human developers for a very good reason. Researchers estimate that on the island live between one and five snakes per square meter.

“Between one and five snakes per square meter” might not be so terrible if the snakes were, say, two inches long and nonvenomous. The snakes on Queimada Grande, however, are a unique species of pit viper, the golden lancehead. The lancehead genus of snakes is responsible for 90 percent of Brazilian snakebite-related fatalities. The golden lanceheads that occupy Snake Island grow to well over half a meter long, and they possess a powerful fast-acting venom that melts the flesh around their bites.

Golden lanceheads are so dangerous that, with the exception of some scientific outfits, the Brazilian Navy has expressly forbidden anyone from landing on the island.

Locals in the coastal towns near Queimada Grande love to recount two grisly tales of death on Snake Island. In one story, a fisherman unwittingly wanders onto the island to pick bananas, gets bitten, then he dies near his boat in a pool of blood.

The other story is of the final lighthouse operator. One night, a handful of snakes enter through a window and attack the man, his wife, and their three children. In a desperate gambit to escape, they flee towards their boat, but they are bitten by snakes on branches overhead.