Snake Island

The lack of snakes on Ireland (see “St. Patrick and the Snakes“) brings to mind another island with a very different snake situation. Ilha de Queimada Grande is a small island off the coast of Brazil to which the Brazilian Navy forbids visits. The reason: snakes. The island is the only home to the Golden Lancehead viper. This pit viper possesses some of the most potent venom of any snake on earth and it is estimated the the island has one of these snake per square meter. Surprisingly, the snakes are considered to be “Critically Endangered” (CR on the chart below) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main cause being their lack of geographic distribution which has led to genetic problems due to inbreeding.

IUCN Conservation Status by risk of extinction.

So maybe Ilha de Queimada Grande isn’t ideal for your next vacation destination. If you are looking for travel spots with fewer inbred venomous snakes, then stop by the Davenport Public Library and take a peek at our large collection of travel books, which can be found in the non-fiction section under call number 910.