Get these snakes off the plane.
Hold on. Forget about planes.
Forget about planes.
This is a whole island overrun
by slithery serpents.
And they're not common reptiles. One species
is among the deadliest snakes in the world.
Welcome to Snake Island
or Ilha da Queimada Grande.
Let's just say you don't want to get shipwrecked here.
Because there are snakes.
A lot
of snakes.
Off the coast of Brazil is a small, unassuming island.
But when you set foot on it, you will get a shock.
Since 1909, humans have not lived on the island.
The Brazilian government banned people from going there
except for some unfortunate navy crews who must
maintain the lighthouse every year.
Myths and legends surround Snake Island.
Some people have suggested
pirates brought the snakes to the island
to help protect their treasure.
Treasure hunt.
This idea seems a bit too Hollywood,
even though I like it.
but it does seem weird to have so many snakes
on one island.
Why are there so many?
Well, thousands of years ago,
the island was still connected to the mainland,
and snakes could come and go as they chose.
As sea levels rose,
some snakes got trapped on the island.
And after 11,000 years in seclusion,
these reptiles evolved to be as deadly
as they get.
And there were no natural
predators to prey on the snakes.
So nature took its course,
and the snakes took over the island.
Also, as we see with other secluded islands species,
they tend to become unique.
And Snake Island is no different
as its snakes are one of a kind.
The golden lancehead is a type of viper that
only lives on the island.
And wow, does it pack a punch.
It has one of the most deadly venoms
ever recorded.
They are closely related to mainland lancehead vipers.
But the golden lanceheads adapted to life on the island,
and their choice of prey is limited.
Their main prey is birds,
so the snakes learned to climb to reach them.
That's not terrifying at all.
Then the snakes ran into another problem.
If they struck a bird and their venom was the same
as the mainland lancehead viper,
it wouldn't instantly affect the bird, giving it time to fly away.
That was terrible for the snakes as they
couldn't pursue their prey.
So the golden lanceheads evolved a more deadly venom.
It's so potent it can kill a human
in one hour if untreated.
Imagine what that does to a small bird.
Yep, you guessed it.
Instant death.
Researchers estimate there are 2,000 to 4,000
golden lancehead vipers on the island.
And they haven't even started counting
all the other snake species.
So who really knows what's on there.
So yeah, this is definitely not the island
to go to for a relaxing holiday.
But show of hands who's interested in seeing a show
called Snake Island? Where all the snakes try to get off
the island every episode by making crazy
things out of coconuts.
But it looks like people
are venturing out to the island anyway,
and not for a good reason.
Reports state that biopirates trap the snakes
and sell them on the black market
for more than $30,000 USD.
So snakes, which have called this island home for over
10,000 years,
are threatened once again by humans.
We just don't learn, do we?
You know what else packs a punch?
The Portugeuse man 'o war.
Check out what it can do on our other video.
They got trapped on an island thousands of years ago,
and they are now one of the world's deadliest snakes.
That's what golden lanceheads do.
And that's what makes them Crazy Creatures.