Young Adventurer Takes Nature by Storm

Some of his fans are comparing him to a young Steve Irwin.

A daring sixth grader is making waves in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, fearlessly handling snakes and even allowing one to bite him during thrilling nature escapades.

Elijah, who can be found online at @King_Of_The_Ozark, barely flinched as a nonvenomous snake bit into his skin.

This 12-year-old, coming from an outdoorsy family, told a reporter that his willingness to take risks—in ways that might terrify many—has become a part of his life.

“We are a family that loves the outdoors,” he said during a Zoom call. “My brothers catch snakes too… My dad gets bitten as well. I’ve always enjoyed going out to catch wild animals.”

Though Elijah, who chose to keep his last name private, has racked up 116,000 followers on Instagram, he never anticipated that his content would blow up.

Initially, he started sharing videos just to prove to his skeptical friends that he could handle a snake bite. “They didn’t really believe me, so I decided to show them,” he remarked, laughing at how surprised he was by his sudden popularity.

His Instagram showcases videos of him confidently grabbing snakes, maintaining his cool even while showing them to his audience.

While he does take risks, Elijah is cautious about safety. He studies a snake’s coloration to make sure he’s not grabbing something venomous.

In one video, a black North American racer lunges toward the camera, and the young adventurer picks it up for a bite. Another clip features him diving into a river to catch a sizeable Midland water snake.

He describes the bite from the Midland snake as particularly painful, rating it a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Elijah has a knack for setting challenges to keep his followers engaged. Recently, he embarked on a journey where he got bitten by a snake for every 10 new followers over 12 days.

“It’s been 12 days since I was bitten once for every 10 new followers,” he explained while a black snake curled around his neck.

After one of his latest videos, he gained 250 followers in just 24 hours, resulting in him being bitten 25 times.

But his wild escapades go beyond snakes—he’s also known for pushing his limits with hornets. “Every time I hit 10,000 followers, I get stung by a new hornet,” his profile cheekily announces.

In his posts, he showcases himself using tweezers to hold wasps against his arm, waiting for the sting. Afterward, he often lets out a quick “Ah” and shares how it felt.

His family supports his unusual hobby, although his mother seems a bit on edge about the snakes.

“My mom worries a little,” he chuckled, glancing at her from across the room. “She tries to teach me which snakes are poisonous.”

Elijah recalls his first bite at around age nine, describing it as an accident. Once he realized it wasn’t so painful, he was hooked on the excitement.

Now, he’s earned titles like “Little Steve Irwin” and “the toughest kid in the world” in the comments, which he takes as a badge of honor.

“I think that’s really cool,” he said with a smile.

However, he offers a note of caution to those who might imitate his feats: “You should always know what kind of snake it is before you grab it,” he advised. “Getting bitten by a venomous snake can be risky. And with wasps, it’s important to be aware that some can sting harder than you might expect.”