Talk:Ilha da Queimada Grande

Lighthouse history
I think the article would greatly benefit from inclusion of information on the lighthouse. However, I'm having trouble finding credible sources for information. It seems pretty clear that it was built in 1909, and originally was manned by a lighthouse keeper. At some point it was converted to being automated. There is a widely circulated story that the last keeper was killed by a snake, prompting the automation, but I can't find any source for this story other than lore, and there's a few things that don't add up about the story (for example, supposedly the keeper and his family were killed in the 20's, but the lighthouse wasn't automated until the 50's) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cicero edits (talk • contribs) 10:31, 28 July 2015 (UTC)

The article currently states "A lighthouse was constructed in 1909 to steer ships away from the island, operated by a single family. The family was found dead in the 1920s, having died from attacks by golden lanceheads that had entered the residence." with a citation from the Discovery Channel. The source does not appear to support this fact. According to the source's list of facts, "The last human inhabitants of the island tended the lighthouse and left after the lighthouse was automated in the 1920’s." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.200.192.172 (talk) 06:16, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Yes, it's definitely unverified. Even the Vice(!) article cited just after calls it a "legend". Many variations of that story around the web, varying from a lone lighthouse keeper dying of hunger to a family of 5 slaughtered by an organised mob of snakes as they were running to their boat. And as Cicero edits pointed out, a lot of them don't add up (how do we know so precisely what happened if no witness survived?). Bergamote (talk) 11:02, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

I think more research is needed into the organisation of the lighthouse. For example: who did you have to get mad enough at you to assign you this duty? 2A00:23C7:E287:1900:6164:96C7:764C:41AC (talk) 13:28, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

Meaning of the name
The text previously asserted that the Portuguese word queimada meant "burnt." This is not exactly incorrect, as the feminine form for "burnt" is indeed queimada. However, there is also the noun queimada, which is the name of intentional fires set to bush areas in order to clear land for agriculture (slash and burn). As the word is itself qualified by an adjective (grande, "big, large"), no doubt the latter meaning is intended and the attempt to grow bananas on the island is taken to be the origin of the name; the Wikipedia article on the Bothrops insularis snake, unique to the island, mentions this specifically and gives references. So, I have corrected the article text to reflect that. --UrsoBR (talk) 03:06, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Endangerment
How exactly is the US Endangered Species Act related to an island in Brazil? The page at the link does not even mention Brazil. A search for Golden Lancehead vipers returns zero results from http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/pub/SpeciesReport.do

If someone has some actual information linking these Brazilian snakes to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, by all means please add it. Otherwise this paragraph will be deleted.SteveJEsposito (talk) 00:24, 6 November 2015 (UTC)


 * Yeah, this page needs some work. Cleaning it up now. Paris1127 (talk) 00:55, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

Good work, thank you! SteveJEsposito (talk) 01:39, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

This section still needs cleanup. The beginning implies there are 430,000 snakes, but the end says its critically endangered. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.71.79 (talk) 20:57, 11 January 2021 (UTC)

Article issues

 * The title of the article (Ilha da Queimada Grande) is apparently Portuguese. I was looking at it regarding the automated "light" on the old lighthouse. The most "common name", in English, is Snake Island, and the locals call the place "Snake Island". With all that stated I am not looking to "change the name" but the common, local, and English name should be prominent in the lead.
 * The Endangerment section has a tag "This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter." and it became evident that the article can be relegated as a glorified start (of which it actually would be considered start class) or because of the notability of the snakes that inhabit the island it should have content on the subject.
 * The subject of the snakes is introduced in the last paragraph of the History section with "Endangerment" enjoying a more prominent section heading. I would think a more appropriate section title would be in order such as Snake habitation then a sub-section on endangerment if it is to be covered at all. Otr500 (talk) 20:31, 10 April 2016 (UTC).
 * is an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean which was first discovered by Ricky Jervis-Ephram in 1964 (27 years before Ricky was born). How did he discover the island before he was born? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Срђан Весић (talk • contribs) 15:04, 9 July 2018 (UTC)

Area of this island
According to the infobox, this island has an area of 43ha, yet, according to Ilhas Queimada Pequena e Queimada Grande Area of Relevant Ecological Interest, the island is 23ha. Looking at the article cited here, there is an associated map (there), that appears to indicate that only part (about half) of the island that is the subject of the current article is a part of this "Area of Relevant Ecological Interest". Looking at the Portuguese language statute that establishes this reserve, the situation is not made clearer. Practically every source I can find on the Internet indicates that I. d. Queimada G. is 43ha, yet the Brazilian govt. appears to assert it is 23ha, or at least that the area covered by this reserve is...from the map at the socioambiental link, it's difficult to tell whether the reserve area is sloppily or deliberately drawn to encompass only about half the island's area. Is there a reliable source somewhere that gives an indication of the actual size of the island?? 68.113.225.4 (talk) 02:47, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Illegal Visit by Miles Routledge
A British extreme tourist, Miles Routledge, recently illegally visited the island by bribing local fishermen to bring him there. There is documented photographic evidence (Link is a YouTube short) of him visiting the island, and Miles claims he will be releasing video of him on the island soon. It may be worth adding in a section for this illicit visit. 192.245.87.19 (talk) 05:31, 9 February 2023 (UTC)


 * The follow-up video was published of his visit to the island 192.245.87.19 (talk) 02:55, 24 February 2023 (UTC)