Snake Island | 100 Wonders | Atlas Obscura

[@WonkaVator72]

One small point (re. 1:14). Snakes are venomous (they inject their venom), not poisonous. Poison is ingested. If you ate a snake and it killed you, then it would be poisonous.

[@ahallock]

WonkaVator72 The pedantry is strong with you. I like it.

[@johnwright291]

I hate to say it but aren't you nit picking in the extreme.

[@WonkaVator72]

@@johnwright291 Not at all. I was clarifying/correcting a widespread misunderstanding. I also acknowledged that it was a small point.

[@johnwright291]

@@WonkaVator72 sorry. I admit my response was in bad taste but it reminded me of a seattle talk show host that I listen to who takes what someone says and picks it apart and tries to read stuff into it.

[@lovebieber207]

this has to be one of the most entertaining most informational videos I have ever seen well done!

[@atlasobscura]

Thanks +ashley vallot! That is very much appreciated!

[@retropragma]

You're one of the best at these types of videos. Keep it up, Dylan! :)

[@atlasobscura]

Thanks so much +Alec Larson!

[@3Kittaty]

Another hilarious and educational video! I really look forward to these. Just curious... are there any interesting and obscure places/ stories to do with birthdays? It's my birthday next week (8/26) and it would be so awesome if there was a crazy event or folklore that had something pertaining to birthdays! Thank you.

[@TheMusketITuckedIt204]

3Kittaty We have the same date of birth.

[@animalist]

Whoa! So many snakes in one place.

[@luisrenteria3890]

This youtube series are awesome! Make one about Centinel Island.

[@atlasobscura]

Thanks so much +Luis Renteria! Yes! That would be a great one!

[@killswitch2148]

The fact that he’s actual happy when he’s speak about the death of the family

[@texaslonestarrider]

That island is no longer on my bucket list! ;-)

[@skull9674]

That island is the bucket.

[@kezienoseyie9642]

I love your videos so much .. And your face is very ..somehow .. Very satisfying 😄

[@atlasobscura]

+kezieno seyie Haha, thanks so much! I try, I try.

[@MicahBailey]

haha love this guy! He should do stand-up.

[@atlasobscura]

Thanks +Micah Bailey! The idea of that terrifies me, but I guess this is kind of the same it's just I can't see people judging me in real time, ha!

[@AldoJzSnake]

Hey¡¡ This channel it's freaking great?? Im new in here so, I gpt to ask...do you already have a video about Tristan d Acunha?? The fartest island on the Earth?

[@atlasobscura]

+AldoJzSnake Thanks so much! I haven't yet, but that would be a great one!

[@JeffersonRicardoSbrissa]

Brasil 🇧🇷

[@TonyCota]

holy cow! that is the place to be!!

[@samyulsyed6741]

He seems like such a genuinely friendly guy

[@atlasobscura]

Thanks +Samyul Syed!

[@asoaresjr]

Awesome video, but we have to work big time on that pronunciation. Maybe check with a Portuguese speaker next time before posting?

[@atlasobscura]

+Alvaro Soares, Jr. Totally. I knew I was butchering this even as I said it. Apologies to all Portuguese speakers!

[@jokarpinski22]

Interesting video...did you just invent that pronunciation of the island tho? lol...I speak portuguese and spanish and that wasn't even close to even spanglish like a typical gringo would pronounce it. Entertaining info about the Golden Lancehead tho!

[@atlasobscura]

+John Carlos I have my own magical way of pronouncing things. Magical and very wrong.

[@jokarpinski22]

HAHA, but your videos are awesome man, keep up the good work!

[@wraithnbr]

+Atlas Obscura the name "Queimada Grande" sounds kinda like "kay-mah-duh grand-ee" it means "big fire", named after the fires locals made to scare the snakes just for you to know =)

[@tishamanda36]

What I am digging about "snake Island" is that the warning signs are not in English. They're all like oh ya its fine Americans come on grab a spot on the beach! Get a tan! Its all good in the neighborhood.

[@itsrtvbaby]

hahaha that's hella funny lol

[@davidduran4458]

Sure, because they should have warnings in English in Brazil, right

[@ghostt5623]

@Amy Sternheim Let me guess, you've never been to America nor actually talked to an American in person.

[@CardiganJane]

I didn't see any lighthouse in the photos. Is it still there?

[@atlasobscura]

+CardiganJane Yep it is! The Brazilian Navy goes to service it once a year.

[@delyfigoli]

muy interesante...

[@ArunPlaysPiano]

Death, yep, I've experienced that, but it wasn't from a snakebite.

[@atlasobscura]

+ArunPlaysPiano You are very resilient to have experienced death and still be posting on KZbin!

[@xinjie.y]

im doing this for a school project and MAN these commments are helpful 😂

[@NeverGiveUp11Valeria]

This guy is super funny haha

[@Scdny]

How can you have so many of the top predator (presumably) on one small island? What are they eating? Insects? Plants? Tourists? Each other? It doesn't sound like a sustainable ecosystem unless there are billions of rodents and other small critters to continually feed all those snakes (and the prey have to eat, too). And if that's all there is to eat, why did they evolve such a deadly venom?

[@atlasobscura]

+Edac2 Birds! So many birds. The island is a stop for migratory birds (who seem to need the stop enough that they deal with the snakes) and that is why the snakes are in the trees. The are waiting for a tasty bird snake. TI'm not sure of this but I imagine the venom evolved to be pretty fast acting so that the birds don't have a chance to fly away.

[@Scdny]

+Atlas Obscura - That makes sense. But still, one snake per square meter must be a bit of an exaggeration, since you'd need at least that many birds or more. And then it would be called Guano Island, not Snake Island. And if all those snakes are eating that many birds, what are the birds eating?

[@ad6449]

You are having way too much fun with Death by Snake.

[@DustinRNewton]

Is this the same Snake Island where the currently airing "reality" show Treasure Quest was filmed? The crew exploring the island ran into supposed snake poachers on the island as well.

[@atlasobscura]

The one and same! One thing I wish I had included is that the snake population isn't evenly distributed so there are parts of the island with less snakes, hence making the show possible!

[@DustinRNewton]

Very true. Still FAR too many for my liking. They can keep that treasure, I'll look for another one somewhere else less snake-y!

[@piercetinney3658]

Someone's gotta go and put a new bulb in that light house every few years, right…

[@RavenReads]

The Navy goes and reboots the battery or something once a year. It's automated. Mr. Ballen did some more research on it and covered the story. I know this is five years delayed but lol *shrug* There you go :)

[@frankcastle7112]

I like the way you think.

[@davidg7454]

I've been watching Treasure Quest....where a group of treasure hunters goes to this island...no one has been bit or killed yet. So it's a little bit of hype.

[@Crate70]

Do a video on the Georgia Guidestones!

[@atlasobscura]

+Alex Davis Totally! The story of the piece of the Guidestones that went missing, was replaced with a new weird piece, and then re-replaced with the original piece is really bizarre. I have talked with the company that takes care of the Guidestones and they were oddly cagey about the whole thing.

[@GirlKaleidoscopeEyes]

Ah, I finally know where my ex came from

[@Yuli95Sagitta]

Romania also has a island called Snake Island, but there aren't any snakes there.

[@piecheese1214]

So that's where St. Patrick chased all the snakes in Ireland...

[@elaksandra]

Please, enable closed captions! :)

[@ShioriWhitefeather]

I love how silly you are xD

[@charmanda3190]

Well, you sold that island pretty well as "Nope island."

[@Myndale]

Poor research. lha da Queimada Grande is 430,000 square meters and contains about 4 thousand snakes, so roughly one per hundred square meters.

[@atlasobscura]

+Myndale I wish I had said this in the video, but you are correct in the sense that the snakes are not evenly distributed across the island. So I am talking about the parts of the island with heavy snake density.

[@fabiobcm]

I have been there once but didn't jump from the boat.

[@tyronethechef4606]

PLEASE COME TO BRAZIL

[@skowog]

What the hell are these snakes eating that they haven't eaten already with that kind of density?

[@richardhincemon]

Golden Lancehead Vipers that lives on Snake Island venom has evolved to be effective on birds rather than mammals.

[@baltusd]

So now this guy is gonna get famous, because he tells facts ?

[@Cyberdactyl]

baltusd LOL, "facts". Do a bit of checking. The density he states is the extreme sliver on the right side of the bell curve for the density. Basically, some Basyesian stretching for youtube views.

[@atlasobscura]

+Cyberdactyl I admit to some Bayesian stretching. You have to stay limber. Just kidding, this is a fair criticism, and I wish I had stated that this density of snakes is not evenly distributed across the island. I will endeavor to be a bit more clear with my statistics :)

[@missmojo8779]

What do they eat? This place must be empty of any small mammals like mice, rats or even birds.

[@ventingshow4995]

Annoying host but good video.

[@TheMusketITuckedIt204]

Venting Show He's a crucial part of the show, otherwise you're better off looking up the information yourself.

[@ventingshow4995]

TheMusketITuckedIt If he was alive, I'd say send Steve Irwin to do a good segment on it.

[@warhorse03826]

with that density of snakes..what exactly do they eat?? wouldn't any food source other than cannibalism strip the island clean pretty quickly? no rat or mouse population could breed fast enough to survive.

[@atlasobscura]

+warhorse03826 Birds! It is on a migration path so the birds land and get eaten up!

[@kuletrocero2544]

Why snakes like that declining?

[@sgtdanny69148]

Hans!!!

[@jetli740]

impossible 1 snake per sqm, what it feed on?, no way it can support that big population

[@atlasobscura]

+Jet Li They eat migratory birds, so their food comes to them :)

[@PCrailfan3790]

*VENOMUS*

[@neil78b]

This is old news, lol. CNN had this story around this time last year...

[@TheEvie1995]

venomous*

[@qaisamiri7597]

That ending was a bit crinchy

[@anitacraighead7038]

Loved the video till you said poisonous snakes! NO snake is poisonous. They are VENOMOUS!!!

[@rawkinrobot]

new host, please.

[@stmfukeers]

Why this drum ? We are not savage people -.-

[@sasadjuric8618]

kenjaš

[@Beanietaru]

Snakes aren't poisonous!!! GAH!

[@atlasobscura]

+Rusty Barnes They are if you eat them.

[@jade4781]

some are

[@kimosabe4299]

There is something that is worse than the island ... your teeth!

[@MrHugo-uc7gg]

You just talking too much, and stop talking offhead about place you never visited

[@ericsilberstein667]

Maybe humans should stay off the island.

[@gmoney41721]

Why are you being so weird?...

[@kezienoseyie9642]

Then I love his weirdness ! He's really cool

[@atlasobscura]

+kezieno seyie Thanks Kezieno! You are cool for saying such nice things!