About 33 kilometres off the coast of São Paulo lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, better known as Snake Island.
Shrouded in myths of deadly encounters and pirate treasure, the island has earned a fearsome reputation as one of the most snake-infested places on Earth.
While stories often claim there is "one snake per square metre", modern estimates suggest the island is home to around 2,000 to 4,000 snakes spread across its 43-hectare landscape.
Despite its fearsome reputation, only two snake species are known to inhabit the island: the critically endangered golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis) and the harmless Sauvage's snail-eating snake (Dipsas albifrons).
Nearly all of the island's snakes are golden lanceheads, a highly specialised species found nowhere else on Earth.
