Snake Island (Full Length Documentary)
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- čas přidán 28. 03. 2014
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The highest concentration of one of the most venomous snakes in the world is located about 90 miles off the coast of Santos, Brazil, on a small, craggy chunk of otherwise uninhabitable land. It's known as Ilha da Queimada Grande, or Snake Island, and it's the only place you will find 2,000 or so of the wholly unique golden lancehead viper, or Bothrops insularis.
When you step ashore, with a keen eye you spot one of these snakes roughly every 10 to 15 minutes after clearing the base of the island, and as many as one every six square yards in other parts of the island. This means, as you are walking through the waist-high brush, even with some good boots on, it's like walking through a minefield that moves and, instead of blowing you into chunks, slowly paralyzes you and liquefies your insides, as the golden lancehead does to the migrating birds it feeds on in the treetops.
Well, "liquefying your insides" may be a stretch, but no one knows for sure because no one bitten has lived long enough even to be admitted to a hospital, or at least none of the researchers who accompanied VICE on their journey to Snake Island owned up to that fact. Nor did the Brazilian Navy, who allowed VICE exclusive access to document their annual maintenance inspection of Snake Island's lighthouse-which has been automated ever since the 1920s, after the old lighthouse keeper ran out of food and disappeared while picking wild bananas in a small grove near the shore. According to legend, he and the members of his rescue party died one by one, all alone and in search of one another after each had been missing for some time.
The golden lancehead is so unique and its venom so potent that specimens procured by snake-smuggling "biopirates" can fetch up to $30,000 apiece on the black market (with prices going much higher depending on the location of the rich weirdo snake collector or, some have speculated, the black-market biopharmaceutical chemists attempting to beat Brazil on a patent).
Is that the craziest fucking description of a documentary you've ever heard? The answer is yes. So of course VICE's editor-in-chief, Rocco Castoro, and senior producer, Jackson Fager, had to go there and nose around for themselves. On their return they said things like:
"It was like a David Lynch movie through the prism of Satan's asshole. The anti-Galápagos. Darwin in reverse."
"[It's] cut off from the mainland and perhaps the land of a long-buried pirate treasure, according to the stories from local fishermen. But they also told us there were aliens on the island, so pretty much anything goes. It's scorched earth. It's where I would send my worst enemies to live, and I look forward to setting up a business with the Brazilian government to do just that. After the World Cup, of course."
"What I can tell you is that there are stone fucking steps hand-carved into the face of one of the prominent cliffs, all the way up. But you can't dock anywhere near there. There's also the possibility that [the venom] could be used for an anti-cancer drug, or perhaps anti-aging. Maybe it could save mankind. Whatever. They wouldn't have saved my ass."
"There are blue locusts and so many of these weird, prehistoric-looking cockroaches on the ground at night that it crunches when you walk. Place is fucked. No one is allowed there for a reason. Don't ever go."
"All that said, great shoot. Great diving, too."
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Imagine crashing a ship in the sea then being so relieved to find an island you can survive on and it turns out to be this one
syntheticfun that would be so bad
syntheticfun rip
syntheticfun this definitely needs to be a movie
It is good script for a Movie!!! :-p
Snakes on Plane.... Snakes on a Island..
Woman: "5 snakes"
Me: *sees branches only"
Same
*Me : OH boi this is not gonna end well*
Cuz she is lying
Same tho
I guess we would be all dead👀
When a Navy Admiral says he wont go to the island.....dont go bro!
That's the time to go 😊
@@lorenagonzalez7046 😂😂touche
Honestly I thought he was exaggerating in the beginning, but this is genuinely terrifying. The only venomous snakes where I live are rattlesnakes and they'll let you know they're there way before they bite. The dense vegetation plus snakes that are quiet, everywhere, and probably not to happy to see you, just seems like a recipe for disaster that far from a hospital.
if you got rattlers you got copperheads most likely also bud. not many places without both in the americas where rattlers are. desert area ?
@@SmEiF- Yeah, southwest US. No copperheads here that I know of.
The one actually decent sized snake I met let my dog step on its face without doing anything. There's only harmless snakes in so cal.
Those desert rattlers are very potent aren't they?
Lol, the most venomous snake (the only one even I think) we have within at least 400km (250mil) is an asp viper. It is less painful than most bee stings(-: Only "dangerous" wild animal is a wild boar but you will never run into them while hiking in a group. They hear you from miles away. No ravines or cliffs. When we go into the forrest, by far the most dangerous things for our Wellbeing is us🤣😂
Just put some spiders in there and you got Australia
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Not anymore
There are Brazilian wandering spiders and Giant centipedes too.
Put some tigers and leopards u have India
@@ravichandrannair2615 Put the jaguar, Black caiman and anacondas, u have the Amazon!
I always wondered where all my exes went!
I wonder if they ask the same question!
Yeah all those anaconda thots
Oof
Came to comments for this videos , wasn't disappointed...
Hahahaha
Watching this makes me feel there's a snake lurking in my surroundings now 😅
Every time I go to the bathroom I look in the toilet to see if there's snakes in there. By the way I am 56 yo.
@@lisamartin3734 HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA can't blame you, I feel the same way 😂
Check under your bed
I've been seeing videos of snakes coming from sinks and toilets. This is definitely not helping
I have a snake in my pants, its been there since birth. Kinda weird, I know.
The guy being happy about the view is gold, truly amazing.
This dude looks like el chapo but sounds like a white kid named tanner
Jason
lmao. My thoughts too
TANNER
🤣🤣🤣
Reminds me of the Fyre Fest guy 😂
Jason 😂
The way we view snake island is the way animals view us, vast and deadly.
+Slumdog Mignolet 😂
+Slumdog Mignolet 😩😭😭
Nathanial Arias but males... we horny and deadly.
Liberal nonsense
The fact they didn't die or get attacked is a reminder of something a lot of people really don't understand. Unless threatened, most snakes are quite docile, especially toward particularly large creatures like humans.
Golden Lanceheads will attack without warning or without any provocation.
That particular species of snake evolved without natural predators. They fear absolutely nothing!
Yeah f that I hate snakes
Many vipers will deliver a deadly injection without warning or provocation... they're vipers and they don't give a damn.
My ex girlfriend would have been the queen here
Glad to see you and your ex have broken up amicably!
LOLLL
We that might be funny if you didn’t have coc as your pfp
@@englandismanscity4798 that doesn't sound right
mine too
Bee keepers get more protection than these guys
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ,,,,,,,,,,,,, COUGH , COUGH
i went on amazon forest as a tourist once and there we had to have shin protectors bcs of snakes and use jeans pants and hard shoes (long sneakers, military boots, etc) we also shouldve used a long sleeved shirts, but we got to not use it bcs the trees were all cut down in the path, so we wouldnt actually touch any plant leaf that looked like any animal, BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE PUSHING THEIR LUCK, that woman with NO SLEEVES on her shirt is like ASKING for some vine snake to JUMP in her arms honestly their clothes are giving me so much anxiety
I thinks theres a new invented fabric that even a knife can tear
@@Lovejuicyfruity well i thought that too.. but then i think, they probably use strong fragrance, in order to keep the snakes away.. since from what i know snakes mainly uses heat and odor to sense the environment, and use anything with strong smell would make the snakes confused and go away.
HAHA
Employee insurance rates at Vice must be through the fucking roof.
No insurance company would cover anyone who works at Vice lol
Hahah.
12:08 almost kicking the dude in the face like twice and him smiling the whole time was so funny
I would literally cry if I was there these people are so brave
Plz dont cry, you should catch the snake and keep as pet.
I work with snakes as kind of a side living. I work with the large pythons all the way to the small harmless garden snakes. I catch and relocate venomous snakes. Point is, I'm not scared of snakes. But fuck that island.
Saint Vicious hahahah epic 😂🔥
Saint Vicious I love that the guy from Vice is wearing snake boots. With those kinds of snakes they're about as useful as half a raincoat in a downpour.
Hahahaha lmaaaao
😆😆😆
I whole heartedly agree with this comment
25:54 she was like 5 snake bruh I dont see anything. Id lose my mind on that island.
Same here
I wouldnt be on that island!!
Seemed like the dude did lose his mind
It is very common for ordinary people for not be able to see the snakes because they use camouflage, as a biologist myself I was specially trained to capture tree snakes during my internship and when I started almost all the times I couldn't see them because of the green colour
This is giving me some jurassic park vibes. With a bunch of locals being terrified of an island and the government warning people not to go there.
*vice hold my beer*
While I enjoyed learning about snake island, you can really tell the host really has no knowledge of snakes or animals in general. I get that it's entertaining and all to talk about how your life was in danger and all but in reality there are few animals that will actively try to kill a human unprovoked. One of the first signs is just the fact that he doesn't acknowledge the difference between "poisonous" and "venomous" organisms. His recap at the end also incites an unnecessary fear "we made it out alive because the island let us". The researchers have been visiting on a regular basis with few issues so clearly the island and its snakes are not out to get people. It's needless fear mongering, that will make people want to kill venomous snakes out of fear. Are they dangerous animals, yes, but that doesn't mean every encounter is life threatening. Acting like standing still under a tree is encouraging snakes to bite you is just excessive.
So true
Of course, if you take immense precaution, it wouldn't be as life-threatening as he claims, but that goes for anywhere on this Planet. For the common person, yes it is absurdly dangerous and most certainly life-threatening. The snakes don't need to be violent. All you need is to step on one by mistake, which is very likely to happen, given their sheer number. They are more than correct to use fear-mongering tactics to keep the local rubes away from it.
nice essay
@@GrubbJunker You don't keep people safe by telling them scary stories about things. That's how grannies do things, you educate them. Tell them how dangerous they are, not how scary they can be. Scared people panic, they get irrational, and then they fuck things up.
Still you have to have balls of steel to go on that island.
Woah what’s my school doing here?
😂😂😂
shewa ali FUCKING MOOOODDDD
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
💀💀💀💀💀
"Lol you thought your job was hard?" - Snake Island Light House keeper
Eagles: it's free real estate buffet
This has to be one of the most interesting yet funniest documentaries i've seen in a while.
"Marcelo was unavailable to join on us on our trip" Well at least someone is putting their brain to use
Aye there's no difference between Snake Island and my school
Why do you go to school on an island full of snakes?
The Best Egg Boy ..Guess 'Bullies'
Lmao
If you can survive that.... it means that you can survive anything 👌
NinaH bullies aint shit compared to the real world. If you survive that, you can be well equipped to take on bigger challenges
This is one of my main dreams to be allowed on this island and study these amazing creatures😊
Why?
Yea, it'd be your last dream buddy
I know this video was made 6 years ago, but I’m still mildly annoyed that he’s saying ‘poisonous’ instead of ‘venomous’ , which are two quite different things
At least it isn't Spider Island.
Yea
Snake.. spider island.. either one Fuck That! 😱
MadonnasSpareVagina Or Rotten egg island.
There already is spider island But it's called 'Austrailia'
MadonnasSpareVagina Centipede island would be the worst.
So this is where orochimaru has been hiding this whole time
For real?
Who?
Lol
Only true anime fans understand this joke
Shinobi Gecko more like Naruto fans but ok
Imagine going on this island with Kevin Hart lol 😂
i have anxiety watching this :O can't imagine how it feels to be there.
Venomous snakes, a shit ton of cockroaches and a thick ass forest. My nightmare on one island! Awesome!
Black Widow 200 throw spiders in there and this island would have a special place in hell
LoKitty 626 don't forget the spiders too!
ShayPeee thank you for that😑
don't forget the cannibal tribe
Robert Stampfer
*most deadly...
**and arguably so
Yall slept the on island? Oh hell no i wouldnt close my eyes once, not even blink.
Lmao ikr?
+Conze I would not have slept at all until I was on an airplane back home lol
+king96300 I'm sick and tired of these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane.
+Mr_Glibb You are a legend :D
Grumbis OnCZcams
I am simply a seasoned gentlesir of the interwebs. *tips fedora*
Absolutely beautiful snakes . Show us how much humans have destroyed Earth. They are thriving on this island. I hope it never gets exploited by people.
i literally loved the wibe of the anchor here ! would love to see him in other episodes as well
"Marcello was unavailable to accompany us on our trip..."
No, how shocking! lol
Lol exactly what i was thinking,how convenient (his life is probably too valuable for research purposes they send the pleebs)....
😂😂😂
they should introduce some black mambas and king cobras there! that would be awesome! call it "nope island"
+good afternoon Or Dope island :o
Hahah that should be in the dictionary. 'Nope island = the definition of nope'
ahah
+good afternoon just add some inland taipans and belchers seasnakes to the mix aswell (both from my home country, australia) those things will fuck any human once bitten
+good afternoon it's already nope island, golden lancehead vipers are more deadly than mambas and king cobras
Mr. Ballen has an amazing story about this island. I highly recommend watching it
entering in snakes wearing half sleeves ..man what a protective uniform you are wearing
When she was pointing to the "snakes" I couldn't see shit but grass an branches I would've been screwed.
“He’s female”
2019
Dunno why, but this actually made me lol
brazilian people get a miserable educaation, don't make fun of it
@@sarayfurgler1197 Just like yours
I'd love to see you speak another language and use pronouns correctly.
Anyone else so high that you thought the thumbnail was cinnamon rolls? Come to find out I was very VERY wrong
Lol yup
18:05 what a humble guy
so is noone else interested in the fact that there was a camera set up there by someone else besides the navy?
David Attenborough been there also
Fr
Grow op
No, because research scientists also get permits to study there a few times a year.
@@jax422 ah makes sense...
I'm from Brazil. Some say the Island has a treasure hidden in the caves full of snakes. Pirates used to navigate those waters when Brazil was a Colony and some stole a lot of Gold at that time when Brazil used to produce more than 1/3 of World's gold. No one has ever found anything though - nor tried to find anyway. And for those arguing about Helicopters, Brazil has the second highest number of Helicopters in the World. But we cant build anything on the Island. It is a Natural Reserve and there are laws restricting anything else to be built!
How do they construct light house there?
@@stomerriame1593
That lighthouse was first constructed in the twenties before it was declared a protected natural reserve which is probably why it doesn't have a proper wharf just an iron bar in the rocks.
Yan Silva damn
Who has the first
America
Scary shit my friend
@@qayn7617 Who is going to buy radioactive gold?
12:08 we not gonna say anything about the amount of times this dude kicked him?
No
I have so much respect for these lot and their balls of steel to go on this island. I could NEVER
So if each snake is worth $30,000, and there's 2000 snakes on the island... that's $60,000,000! Gotta catch 'em all! Nature is precious. My precious.
im in.
Tiger H. Lore that is the typical greedy piece of shit attitude that have made soo many beatiful types of animals extinct or nearing it.
Love the spirit
Id eat them all
Tiger H. Lore need to catch them all? Im in ..wait i need a poke ball XD
12:15 I feel uncomfortable when he slept in the bed with his shoes on
Didnt wanna get bit
hahah same !! even the guy below him was having a laugh
classic americans
I don't know if this was Rocco or Jackson, but he's freakin' hilarious. Especially when describing the island as a vacation spot - not. And as he enters his tent you can hear him say to himself, Idiot! lmao. Great video.
the stress and regret in his voice is so palpable lmao
I have mad respect for these guys, I get scared as hell when I just see an insect
Imagine the pain the camera men are going through
They don’t get paid squat either. I’m sure the reporter doesn’t get paid a ton but it’s probably an adrenaline rush as well. Vice usually only has young reporters.
True test of cameraman invincibility!
this was excellent, definitely got the right guy to present it too, you could tell he felt genuine fear, and still stuck it out and stayed and even incorporated humour, excellent documentary !!
Hi
@@enthuzias3913 i’m😅😮:😮😮😮
Snakes are the only animal I don’t care if they go extinct
Honestly, you have no idea how anxious I get when thinking about sleeping on an island full of snakes. Literal hell.
When he was struggling to climb into his bunk at 12:20 the guy in the bottom left hand corner sent me 😭😂😂
Imagine your plane crashed there and you have to survive there until help comes...
Damn, Wilson would have to turn into superman!
I'd become like snake man
Syahmi Haziq It wouldn't be that hard, an endless supply of food and moisture
+Syahmi Haziq sounds absolutely perfect for a film plot
snakes on island
Drop Bear Grylls alongside a couple of honey badgers and mongeese on the island. Give them 4 days tops. Snake island will not be called snake island anymore.
Bear Grylls will eat all the snakes and piss all the venoms.
+Muhammad Shariz Tf 😂😂😂
+Rick Grimes kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk sad but true
+Rick Grimes WTF dont he will eat da snakes
+GWR Duck will probably eat the snake cutting their head part and burying them.He did the same when he was to Sahara desert.
I love vice reporters! They go 2 the next level in a really cool way.
I'd be quite happy to stay on the boat!
My fat ass thought the thumbnail were cinnamon buns
Shannon Deng hahahhahh
Hilarious
lose weight
Shannon Deng u made me hungry
Me too and i searched snake island so in i should have known lol
“Hi I’m Steve-O and I’m about to run naked across this island. Heet heet(his laugh)
heet...... heet
Yeah, dude
I was waiting to see a lot of snakes ..learn about different snakes..well I'll research myself ..but again thanks for the video!
I love these old 'Golden Age of Vice ' docs.
that dr wasn’t unavailable he just didnt wanna go
When they were on the ship around the table playing music, laughing, and eating i was like "..yup.. Just as i suspected...theyre all gonna die." Its the most classic part in a film before ya die.
Props to the cameraman who was turned around the whole time and could have been bitten
It’s now 100 miles of the coast of Brazil, it’s just under 30 miles.
I’d bring a fake snake with me to throw on my friends.
🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣
Heheeee....pure evil
Lol
I was so thinking the same thing!
Am I too stupid but,
1. Body suit that can prevent snake bites
2. Build a new light that does not require a yearly visit.
3. Solar Panels.
4. Helicopter caried by boat, then once there fly it over the lighthouse, drop man, fix, fly back to boat.
These are just some. May be expesive but, how much are the lives of these people worth?
Emmanuel Delgadillo human life in brazil is cheap
The body suit would be really useful and not too expensive.
Brazilians are stupid if it was the u.s they would have astronaut gear lmao
exactly my point why do you have to go through that shit each year...chopper trip can do it more safely ...i was nervous when those ppl walked on foot through the jungle ...lordy
Dude, this is Brazil...enough said...
Awesome documentary.
Picks up anaconda...”he’s a female”
LoL
would you be able to use the correct pronouns in portuguese? don't make fun of people who aren't fluent in a second language, they know more then you do.
Milena Heldt i’m not Portuguese, not trying to make fun of someone, it just made me laugh a little sorry to spill ur beans kid
@@sxlicify466 dude is Brazilian, they speak portuguese in Brazil, kid. So you'd be fine with people laughing at you for not being fluent in a language? I sure wouldn't but hey I guess I'm not everyone.
Just responded this in other comment. In portuguese there is no "it".
Dude is writing an article and leading the vice episode here. Yet he still hasn’t informed himself well enough on the topic to know that snakes are not poisonous, they are venomous.
Poisonous venom, no?
Lmao😂
@@HollerAtcherBoi Simply, poison kills when eaten or digested while venom kills through injection. That’s the difference
@@p5aipad971 venom is a specialized type of poison, meaning it may attack the nervous system or circulation.... But technically...
Its still poison
@@p5aipad971 so you’re saying poison can’t be injected
So when does the documentary about the snakes start? I realized five minutes in this was about the guy not the snakes
A true test of a Cameraman’s superpower of invincibility!
0:28 I was certain they would have hazmat suits on at least?!!!
I like how well you can see the snake smugglers face even with the thing on his face lol
The real “get rich or die trying “👀
I swear your risking your life so hard on that island.
Low-key wondering if my ex lives there
Kevin Castillo yes she’s the snake queen
Ha snake she just like kd
Damn Joe Crenshaw u savage 😂🐍
😂🔥
A group of scientists going into island full of deadly snakes? Sounds like plot for a movie 😂
“Industrial weed wacker” lol wtf dude it’s just a weed eater
Would you go on the island yourself?
Navy Admiral: Eugh eugh uh ah eh I think no.
Im dying hahaha
Even with full body protective suits I would get a heart attack if a snake 🐍 fell out of a tree and bit down on my arm even if I couldn’t feel it
Remember when vice was like this? Miss those days.
12:12 guy’s like WTF you playing at BRO?!
Imagine a plane crashed into the island and the survivors will hope they had died from the crash .
Michael Collins true
Especially after seeing cockroaches
Lost would've been so much better if instead of polar bears they had these fuckers
@@marilynnguyen5887 snakes are motherfucking boop heckers, but cockroaches man....
i prefer to die from a snake bite than getting along with cockroaches...
A helicopter crashed there
an admiral should never send his men where he could never go
that why he become admiral hahaha
He’s a coward. He says he would never go there but commands other people go. Ridiculous...
You die a soldier or live long enough to see you become an Admiral.😂
@@ananthakrishnan4754 That's not modern armies works, you don't get promoted to officer from soldier.
Why would he go? The ones going there specialized people, also there is almost no benefit him going there. You don't become an admiral for stupid display of courage. It's literally high ranking officers job description to send people to die. You cannot win wars by protecting your men at all costs like their mother.
6 years later I see this but it seems odd because they should have brought more protective gear
I love how you summed snake island up at the end. Business is booming lol
I clicked to say I thought those were cinnamon rolls in the thumbnail.
Amba Kang Right? 😂
Lmao me too haha
😂😂😂😂😂 dead
Goddamn you're gorgeous. Is that you on your profile pic?
i am Deadpool Horny be gone
I actually like snakes a lot but I would never set foot onto this island. Don't fuck around with that many danger noodles on one small island!
Gas the island
Ol mate with the patch on his eye before he even gets on the island.
Brave man to go there with a hangover i reckon!
A snake documentary better be full length! ;)
This is where bear grylls really should been sent.
Not enough pee
Bitch please, he'd be dead in 2 hours, Steve Irwin should've been here
BackRewind And yet Steve Irwin was killed by a sting ray.
It looks like you're anti drugs by the look of your profile.
Maria Lemberg Cool?
24:39 scared the hell out of me. You couldn't give me a million dollars to go there. Respect to those researchers and the navymen who go there willingly every year!
The Infographics show basically took this word for word
The number of times this man called snakes POISONOUS instead of VENOMOUS during a documentary about VENOMOUS snakes is ridiculous.
Why didn't they send a reporter who wanted to go? Some people find these types of things to be interesting, and would kill for a chance to go-- and these are also probably the people watching the documentary. So it's kind of a turn off when the reporter whines the whole time. It's reasonable to be a little uneasy, but keep your annoying opinions out of the documentary. Stay in NYC next time, and let someone who appreciates nature go instead.
deal with it, dude went just cause you feel that he did a shit Job doesn't mean you should whine. also really he could die any time and you are saying he can't swear just a little bit.
Why don't you deal with my comment, then? It's a perfectly reasonable observation. The scientists are thrilled to be there doing there job. I'm sure there's a reporter out there who would also like to do that job without complaining.
bravo, you're sure there's a reporter who would like to be there sure, just the same way i'm sure there are people who want to commit suicide but that doesnt stop the rest of us from acting out in suicidal situations, and really it wasnt that bad, yeah he was a little bit of a bitch but i wont blame him cause i was the one who came to watch vice knowing how unethical and curse filled some of their stuff is so like i said dude deal with it
and you deal with him dealing with it and ill deal with you dealing with him dealing with it.
NuChannel1142 How meta
A man named Jones went to this island in search of Pirate treasure. His first words were recorded in a Diary;
Tuesday 20th March 1950 :
Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes
xMATTSTERx 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Humans are so invasive, we even interupt an island with 4000 extemely venemous snakes lol
Snake island ❌️
High school reunion ✅️