Ilha das Cobras: a perspectiva da mídia digital acerca de aspectos biológicos e ecológicos da jararaca-ilhoa (Bothrops insularis)

Abstract

The internet is one of the world’s main communication channels these days. Unfortunately, because of its accessibility, this digital media also enables the circulation of biased and unreliable information, like fake news. Snakes, for example, are, to this day, target of the sensationalist media, which pictures them as scary and violent animals and makes people kill them because they think they’re evil beings. This may cause many snake species to be endangered, including the golden lancehead pit viper (Bothrops insularis). This species is endemic to Ilha da Queimada Grande and is object of misinformation on the part of many national and international communication channels. In this sense, this study aimed to identify false information about the biology and ecology of B. insularis disseminated by digital media in the last ten years, and, later, clarify them based on reliable sources to demystify the species in question. Incorrect data about the venom, habits, population size, diet, morphology, and reproduction of B. insularis were collected from internet sources and stored in tables and graphics, and then the frequency with which the data about each considered topic were found was calculated. A bibliographic survey was conducted to identify and clarify the wrong information that were found. A total of 174 false information about B. insularis was collected, given that 113 were about its venom (64,9%), 32 about its population size (18,4%), 12 about its habits (6,9%), eight about its diet (4,6%), seven about its body size (4%) and two about its reproduction (1,1%). These results highlight the necessity to invest even more in scientific divulgation and environmental education projects to bring people closer to these animals and make them understand their ecological roles and the importance of conserving all species of snakes, especially the endangered island species.