Nature’s most mysterious islands often come with breathtaking beauty, but a few carry a terrifying twist—deadly snakes found nowhere else on Earth. For adventurers, these islands may spark intrigue, but for many, they are the stuff of nightmares. Among the most infamous are Brazil’s Ilha da Queimada Grande, better known as Snake Island, and China’s Shedao Island, both notorious for hosting some of the world’s most venomous serpents. Let us take a look at what exactly makes these islands so terrifying. Snake Island, Brazil 📌 Brazil’s Snake Island or Ilha da Quiemada Grande located off the coast of Brazil is the deadliest 'snake island' in the world. 📌 It is a small island off Brazil’s southeastern coast in Sao Paulo state, known for its rainforest patch and varied terrain. 📌 It is home to the highly venomous Golden Lancehead Vipers. 📌 The golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis) is only found on Ilha da Queimada Grande, Brazil, it is endemic there and isn't found anywhere else on Earth. 📌 The island’s name doesn’t translate to Snake Island. Instead, it refers to an attempt at deforestation by burning the island’s vegetation. 📌 Ilha da Queimada Grande is home to only about 2,400-2,900 golden lanceheads, making them critically endangered. 📌 The Golden lancehead is pale yellowish‐brown with darker blotches on a lance-shaped, triangular head. 📌 Scientists believe it became isolated on the island when rising sea levels after the last ice age cut it off from the mainland. 📌 The golden lancehead is among South America’s most dangerous snakes, with venom that destroys blood cells, causes internal bleeding, and can lead to organ failure or death. 📌 The Brazilian government has banned public access to protect both people and these endangered species of snakes. Shedao Island, China 📌 In China’s Liaodong Peninsula lies Shedao Island, a beautiful spot in the Bohai Sea. However, it is packed with nearly 20,000 venomous pit vipers. 📌 These snakes, found nowhere else on Earth, survive mainly on migratory birds. The island is tiny, only 180 acre, yet there’s about one snake for every 10 square feet. 📌 Shedao Island spans 73 hectare and lies about 10 km off the coast of Dalian in Northeast China. 📌 Like other island-dwelling snakes, the Shedao pit viper (Gloydius shedaoensis) has evolved stronger venom to hunt its primary prey which are migratory birds. 📌 After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, several surveys showed that there were 10,000 to 50,000 pit vipers on the island. 📌 In 1982, the number dropped to around 9,000, a record low. The venomous snakes were in imminent danger of extinction. 📌 The snake species was listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. 📌 As per IUCN, the Shedao Pit Viper (Gloydius shedaoensis) has most recently been assessed under the threatened species in 2011.
