Images via SnakeBusters and Tessa’s Reptile Services //

The giant, bird-eating snakes have evolved to twice their usual size…

An island off Tasmania has become infested with mutant snakes, prompting stories of fleeing tourists. Located in the Bass Strait north of Tasmania, Mount Chappell Island (also known as Hummocky) is for the most part uninhabited, aside from two rangers and a fuckload of enormous tiger snakes. 

The monster snakes have grown to be twice the size of their relatives on mainland Australia, reaching up to 2.4 metres. They also produce more than twice the amount of venom than regular tiger snakes.

The snakes are predominantly found in a 200-metre stretch of scrub (aptly named Snake Alley), where they feed on mutton bird chicks. These fast-growing chicks are partly the reason for the snakes’ mutation, as after six weeks they become too big for the reptiles to consume. Over time, the snakes have evolved to grow bigger heads (great) in order to extend their feeding time. The bigger the snake, the more chance of survival.

While this might sound like a nightmare for many, one of the rangers living on the island, Grahame Stonehouse, has said he has “a lot of respect” for the snakes, claiming they don’t want to direct their venom towards humans.

“They don’t want to use their venom on you, they want to use it on a feed,” he said. Even still, you can probably cross Mount Chappell Island off the list for your next holiday destination.

At this point, I’m sure Australia would be more than happy to give the island to the snakes. Let’s just hope they never learn how to swim.