Welcome To Pig Beach

Let’s visit a tropical beach. The white sand is warm under your toes. Clear blue water stretches out in all directions. Palm trees sway in the breeze. 

But then you realize you’re not alone. You hear noises coming from the shallow water. Is that . . . oinking?

Suddenly, you see the island’s only residents: about 20 swimming pigs! 

Welcome to Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beach.

Let’s visit a tropical beach. The white sand is warm under your toes. There is clear blue water all around you. Palm trees sway in the breeze. 

But then you realize you’re not alone. You hear noises coming from the shallow water. Is that oinking?

Suddenly, you see the island’s only residents: about 20 swimming pigs! 

Welcome to Big Major Cay. It’s also known as Pig Beach.

Pig Beach is in the Bahamas, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. So how did these pigs get to their island home? Nobody is sure. Some say the pigs survived a shipwreck and swam to the island. One story says they were left behind years ago by passing sailors. 

But the most likely story is that farmers from another island brought them here. Their neighbors were complaining about the pigs’ smell, so they moved the stinky pigs to the closest island. 

Every day, the farmers would visit the pigs to feed them. The pigs started swimming out to meet them and soon learned that boats meant food. 

If you take a boat to Pig Beach today, you’ll likely be greeted by hungry pigs. They may swim up to your boat and surround it, hoping for treats! 

Pig Beach is in the Bahamas. The Bahamas are a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. So how did these pigs get to their island home? Nobody is sure. Some people say the pigs survived a ship accident and swam to the island. Another story says the pigs were left behind years ago by sailors.

But there’s one story that is most likely to be true. Farmers from another island brought them here. Their neighbors were complaining about the pigs’ smell. So they moved the stinky pigs to the closest island.   

Every day, the farmers visited the pigs to feed them. The pigs started swimming out to meet the farmers. The pigs learned that boats meant food. 

If you take a boat to Pig Beach today, hungry pigs might greet you. They may swim up to your boat and surround it. They will be hoping for treats!

No matter how the pigs got here, they seem to love their island home. Tourists love Pig Beach too!

Each year, thousands of people visit the famous pigs. They bring fruits and vegetables for the hungry pigs to eat. They watch the pigs sunbathing on the sandy beach. And best of all? They jump in the water to swim with the oinking animals.

Would you want to swim with these paddling pigs?

No matter how the pigs got here, they seem to love their island home. Tourists love Pig Beach too!

Each year, thousands of people visit the pigs. They bring fruits and vegetables for the hungry pigs to eat. They watch the pigs laying on the sandy beach. Best of all? They swim with the oinking animals.

Would you want to swim with these paddling pigs?

From far away, the island looks beautiful. Waves crash on rocky cliffs, and thick green rainforest covers most of the land. 

But there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Take a few steps and you’re bound to run into a golden lancehead viper—one of the deadliest snakes in the world. The venom from just one bite can kill a person in under an hour. 

Welcome to Snake Island.

From far away, the island looks beautiful. There are big waves and rocky cliffs. There are thick green rainforests on most of the land. 

But there’s more to this island than these pretty sights. Take a few steps. You’re likely to run into a golden lancehead viper. That’s one of the deadliest snakes in the world. The venom from just one bite can kill a person in under an hour. 

Welcome to Snake Island.

Snake Island is located off the coast of Brazil. Thousands of deadly snakes live there. The island is so dangerous that it’s closed to tourists. 

So how did all these snakes end up on the island? One legend says they were put there by pirates to protect their treasure. The truth is even more amazing—and humans had nothing to do with it. 

About 11,000 years ago, Snake Island was connected to Brazil as one giant land. The ocean level rose as time passed, separating the island from the mainland. The snakes living on the island became trapped! 

The snakes had very few predators on the island, but there was plenty of tasty food for the snakes to eat. Over time, the population exploded.

Snake Island is located off the coast of Brazil. Thousands of deadly snakes live there. The island is so dangerous that it’s closed to tourists. 

So how did all these snakes end up on the island? One story says they were put there by pirates to protect their treasure. The truth is even more amazing. And humans had nothing to do with it. 

About 11,000 years ago, Snake Island was connected to Brazil as one giant land. The ocean level rose as time passed. This separated the island from Brazil. The snakes living on the island became trapped! 

The snakes had very few predators on the island. There was also plenty of tasty food for the snakes to eat. Over time, the population exploded.

Only a few scientists are allowed on the island. They always bring a doctor along—in case somebody gets bitten. 

But why would anyone come to this scary place? Scientists think they have a lot to learn from the lancehead. It shows them what can happen when one species takes over an environment. 

The snake’s venom is also important. Scientists are testing it in a lifesaving medicine to help heart disease, and they think it could be used in other medicines too.

These deadly snakes could actually end up saving lives. Thanks, snakes! 

Only a few scientists are allowed on the island. They always bring a doctor along in case somebody gets bitten. 

But why would anyone come to this scary place? Scientists think they have a lot to learn about what can happen when one species takes over an environment. 

The snake’s venom is also important. Scientists are testing it. They think the venom could be used in a lifesaving medicine. 

These deadly snakes could actually end up saving lives. Thanks, snakes!