Weird Islands That Will Leave You Scratching Your Head

Life is strange. Islands are stranger. Or at least they have the potential to be thanks to isolation. From shipwrecked horses to Cat Island, these are some weird islands that will leave you scratching your head.

La Isla de las Muñecas

Known as the “Island of the Dolls”, it is located in a canal near Mexico City. A man by the name of Don Julian apparently went crazy, left his family, and ran to this island where he hung up a bunch of dolls to ward off evil spirits. He drowned not long afterwards.

Sable Island

Just off the coast of Nova Scotia, this island is in a region known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. The only things you’ll find here are horses and shipwrecks. You can probably guess where the horses came from!

Tashirojima Island

Known as “Cat Island”, this small Japanese island has barely 100 human residents….but a ton of cats. The cats were apparently introduced in the 1850s to keep the mouse population of the island under control. After many of the residents moved away, the cat population shot up and today the remaining residents see them as good luck charms. You can even stay in a cat-like cabin if you visit the island.

Ōkunoshima Island

There’s “Cat Island” and then there’s “Rabbit Island”. Between 1929 and 1945 the Japanese army used this island as a chemical weapons testing facility and apparently brought a bunch of rabbits as the subjects. The rabbits inhabiting the island today are said to be the descendants of their unfortunate ancestors.

The Isola La Gaiola

Sitting off the coast of Naples, Italy, nearly every single owner of this island has been found either murdered, drowned, or they ended in economic ruin. Not surprisingly it has been abandoned for some time now and is considered cursed by the locals.

Ilha de Queimada Grande

Let’s review, there were horses, rabbits, cats, and now…snakes! Located about 90 miles from Sao Paulo, Brazil this island is infested with venomous snakes. And these aren’t just any venomous snakes…they’re extremely venomous snakes! In fact the Brazilian Navy has forbidden anyone from even landing on the island due to the danger.

Christmas Island

This Australian territory located in the Indian Ocean is home to one of largest and most spectacular animal migrations on Earth. Every year about 120 million crabs make a month long journey out of the island’s forests to the beach in order to mate. It is a site to behold!

Easter Island

Belonging to Chile, this Pacific island is littered with hundreds of huge statues known as moia. No one knows why the ancient Polynesians built these statues but one thing is certain – it wasn’t easy!

Great Blue Hole

Found off the coast of Belize, this isn’t really an island. It’s actually the opposite of an island! It’s a huge sinkhole in the ocean floor that is surrounded by an atoll. Teeming with aquatic life, the Great Blue Hole is considered one of the world’s greatest dive spots.