The island was previously thought to have a population of about 430,000 snakes, but recent estimates are much lower. Despite a population of 41 recorded bird species on Queimada Grande, the golden lancehead ( Bothrops insularis) relies on only two: the Troglodytes musculus (southern house wren), which is usually able to avoid the golden lancehead as a predator and the Chilean elaenia (a species of flycatcher), which feeds on vegetation in the same area as the snake. However, several sources have debunked this claim and stated it is simply impossible to support such a large population with so few resources. The only people who are allowed on the island are research teams who receive waivers to collect data.īecause there are so many snakes on one island - by some estimates one snake to every square meter (10.8 square feet) - there is competition for resources. The Brazilian Navy has closed the island to the public to protect human and snake life.
The island and the Ilha Queimada Pequena to the west are protected by the 33 hectares (82 acres) Ilhas Queimada Pequena e Queimada Grande Area of Relevant Ecological Interest, created in 1985. The last human inhabitants left the island when the lighthouse was automated. A lighthouse was constructed in 1909 to steer ships away from the island.
The deforestation is the origin of the island's name: the term queimada is Portuguese for forest fire: locals attempted to clear land for a banana plantation on the island by burning. The island is partly covered in rainforest and partly bare rock and grassy cleared areas, a result of deforestation. Ilha da Queimada Grande has a variety of vegetation. Queimada Grande ranges from an average of 18.38 ☌ (65.08 ☏) in August to 27.28 ☌ (81.10 ☏) in March, and rainfall ranges from 0.2 millimetres (0.0079 in) per month in July to 135.2 millimetres (5.32 in) in December. Rain forest covers 0.25 square kilometres (62 acres) of the island, with the remaining area consisting of barren rocks and open grassland. It has a temperate climate that is similar to that of its neighbouring island Nimer. Located approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) off the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, the island is approximately 430,000 square metres (106 acres) in area, and ranges in elevation from 0 to 206 metres (676 ft) above sea level. Queimada Grande is closed to the public for the protection of both people and snakes access is available only to the Brazilian Navy and selected researchers vetted by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, the Brazilian federal conservation unit. The ensuing evolutionary pressure allowed the snakes to adapt to their new environment, increasing rapidly in population and rendering the island dangerous to public visitation. The snakes became trapped on the island thousands of years ago following the end of the last ice age when rising ocean levels disconnected the island from the mainland. The island is the only natural home of the critically endangered, venomous Bothrops insularis (golden lancehead pit viper), which has a diet of birds. Its terrain varies from bare rock to rainforest. The island is small, with an area of only 43 hectares (106 acres), and has a temperate climate. It is administered as part of the municipality of Itanhaém in the State of São Paulo. The island became famous for its abundant snakes, hence the name "Snake Island". Ilha da Queimada Grande, more commonly referred to as "Snake Island", is an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio)
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