Coyote Peterson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coyote Peterson |
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Peterson in 2020
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Nathaniel Peterson September 1, 1981 (age 43) Newbury Center, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Ohio State University (BA) |
| Occupation | YouTube personality, wildlife educator, producer, author |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Subscribers | 971 thousand (main channel) 22.57 million (combined) |
| Total views | 210.8 million (main channel) 5.5 billion (combined) |
| Subscriber and view counts updated as of February 22, 2025. | |
Nathaniel "Coyote" Peterson (born September 1, 1981) is an American YouTuber and wildlife educator. He is well-known for his YouTube channel, Brave Wilderness. This channel teaches people about animals and nature.
Coyote Peterson also hosts a show on Animal Planet called Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild. He is famous for videos where he lets different animals sting or bite him. This helps him educate viewers about how painful or dangerous these encounters can be. His team includes cameramen Mark Vins and Mario Aldecoa, who are also wildlife experts.
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Early Life and Education
Nathaniel Peterson was born on September 1, 1981. He grew up in a countryside area called Newbury, Ohio. From a very young age, Coyote loved animals. His mother inspired him to explore the outdoors. He enjoyed catching and observing different creatures.
As he got older, he went to Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School. Later, he studied film at Ohio State University. He graduated from college in 2004. Even though he knows a lot about animals, he does not have a science degree. He always tells his viewers not to try his methods of handling animals. Coyote Peterson has a daughter named Olivia, who sometimes appears in his videos.
YouTube Adventures
Peterson started his YouTube channel, Brave Wilderness, in 2014. On this channel, he hosts several exciting series. These include Breaking Trail, Dragon Tails, Coyote's Backyard, Beyond the Tide, and On Location. His series Breaking Trail even won an Emmy Award in 2015.
Sting and Bite Videos
Coyote Peterson became very popular for his "bug attack" videos. He started making these videos in 2016. In these videos, he intentionally lets venomous insects sting him. He does this to show viewers the effects of different stings. He often refers to the "Schmidt sting pain index". This index ranks the pain of insect stings.
He started with less painful stings, like those from harvester ants. Then he moved on to more painful ones. These included fire ants, the velvet ant, and the tarantula hawk. He even allowed himself to be stung by the bullet ant. This ant is known for having one of the most painful stings. Later, he was stung by a warrior wasp and an Asian giant hornet. He also experienced the sting of the executioner wasp. He said the executioner wasp's sting was even worse than the bullet ant's.
Coyote Peterson explained that he started these dangerous experiments because his audience loved them. In 2019, his channel set Guinness World Records. It became the most-subscribed and most-viewed animal channel on YouTube. By 2020, Peterson said he was likely done with making "sting and bite" videos.
Other Appearances and Projects
Coyote Peterson has appeared on the talk show Conan. He brought many animals to the show. In May 2021, he and his teammate Mark Vins had a video call with President Joe Biden. They also spoke with Dr. Anthony Fauci to encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccinations.
In 2022, Coyote Peterson's YouTube show Coyote Peterson's Wild Field Trip was nominated for an award. It was recognized for Outstanding Host at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards.
The Primate Skull Story
In July 2022, Peterson shared a story on Facebook about finding a large primate skull. He claimed he found it in British Columbia. He later said he had brought it into the United States. This story became very popular online. However, many scientists said it was likely a fake gorilla skull. They thought it was a stunt to get attention.
Peterson later released a video explaining the situation. He revealed that the whole story was staged. It was a hypothetical example of what not to do if someone found such a discovery. He used it as a way to teach about responsible exploration.
Animal Planet Series
On November 16, 2018, it was announced that the Brave Wilderness team would create a TV show. This show would be on Animal Planet. It was titled Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild. A special episode about signing the contract was posted on their YouTube channel.
The TV special Coyote Peterson: Return to the Wilderness first aired on February 3, 2019. The main series, Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild, premiered on Animal Planet on February 9, 2020.
Books by Coyote Peterson
Coyote Peterson has also written several books about his adventures and animals:
- Coyote Peterson’s Brave Adventures: Wild Animals in a Wild World! (2017)
- Coyote Peterson: The King of Sting! (2018)
- Coyote Peterson's Brave Adventures: Epic Encounters in the Animal Kingdom (2019)
- Coyote Peterson's Wildlife Adventure: An Interactive Guide With Facts, Photos, and More! (2019)
- Coyote Peterson: The Beast of Bites (2020)
