Nathaniel Peterson

Nathaniel "Coyote" Peterson is an American wildlife educator, author, and digital media creator best known for founding the YouTube platform Brave Wilderness. On his channel, he documents various wildlife species and conducts educational expeditions around the globe. He gained widespread popularity for hosting series where he deliberately allowed venomous insects and other creatures to sting or bite him to demonstrate their physical impact. In addition to his online work, he has hosted television programming for Animal Planet.

Peterson was born on September 1, 1981, and raised in rural Newbury, Ohio. Of German and Hungarian descent, he developed an interest in animals and outdoor exploration at an early age under the influence of his mother. During his youth, he spent time learning from the culture of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, an influence he commemorated with a tattoo in 2024. He attended Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School before studying film at Ohio State University from 2000 to 2004. Peterson has no formal academic background in biological sciences or professional animal handling, and he frequently cautions viewers against replicating his interactions with wildlife. He has a daughter named Olivia who occasionally appears in his video content.

In 2014, Peterson launched his YouTube channel, Brave Wilderness, featuring show formats such as Breaking Trail, Dragon Tails, Coyote's Backyard, Beyond the Tide, and On Location. Filmed across global destinations including the United States, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica, the content is produced alongside crew members and wildlife experts Mark Vins and Mario Aldecoa. Peterson began publishing insect attack videos in 2016, systematically exposing himself to stings from species listed on the Schmidt sting pain index, including harvester ants, velvet ants, tarantula hawks, bullet ants, and executioner wasps.

By 2019, Peterson's platform achieved Guinness World Records for being the most-subscribed and most-viewed animal-focused channel on YouTube. That same year, he announced television ventures with Animal Planet, leading to the 2019 special Coyote Peterson: Return to the Wilderness and the 2020 series Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild. Peterson indicated in 2020 that he would likely cease making intentional bite and sting videos. Over his career, he has authored multiple educational wildlife books, including Coyote Peterson’s Brave Adventures and The King of Sting!.

Peterson's public projects have earned several accolades and media appearances. His show Breaking Trail received a 2015 Emmy Award for youth and teen programming, and he was nominated for Outstanding Host at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2022 for Coyote Peterson's Wild Field Trip. Beyond his channel, he appeared on Conan alongside actor Jeff Goldblum and participated in a 2021 public health campaign alongside President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci. In 2022, he generated media coverage after posting about a staged primate skull discovery meant to demonstrate proper protocol regarding scientific finds.