Coyote Peterson Can't Seem to Stay Away From the Most Dangerous Living Things on Earth

If you've ever been down a YouTube binge hole and found a video of a certain individual in a cowboy hat willingly getting stung, bitten, or attacked by some seriously dangerous insects and animals, odds are you've stumbled on Coyote Peterson and his Brave Wilderness team's content.

For better or worse, Coyote and his cohorts have attracted millions of curious viewers over the years due to their willingness to do what virtually nobody else will: go toe-to-toe with potentially deadly creatures.

That willingness has made Brave Wilderness a channel unlike any other, and netted them over 19 million subscribers in the process! Of course, that isn't an easy feat, but it came with a lot of hard work (and maybe even a few hospital trips).

With that being said, the internet begs the question: What happened to the show's main host, Coyote Peterson, and why doesn't he appear on his YouTube channel as much anymore? Here's what we know about the eclectic star's current whereabouts and doings.

Although fans may have come to learn who Coyote is through his series Brave Wilderness, his fame has exploded over the last few years, and thanks to this, he has finally nabbed an official television deal!

While Coyote still makes appearances on Brave Wilderness sometimes (he started the channel, after all), he is now largely focused on his new syndicated program on Animal Planet titled Brave the Wild. In his absence, Mark Vins and Mario Aldecoa have filled in as frequent hosts.

Coyote initially announced his retirement from YouTube when the deal with Animal Planet was signed in 2020. He told fans that his focus was going to be on the new show and not so much getting stung and bitten for others' enjoyment.

Nonetheless, he came out of YouTube retirement shortly after that announcement for a video where he took a sting from an eastern cicada killer wasp. Ever since, he has occasionally jumped back in for more sting content, such as a killer wasp video in June 2021.

The Gympie plant, also known as the suicide plant, is relatively common in Australia. If touched, it can put out toxins that are deadly resulting in a "sting." He made a post on Instagram of some pretty gruesome welts. Plus, he said that he has nerve damage.

For his new show, Coyote tapped Mario (and a crew) to embark on a journey across the globe, spotlighting different species of insects and animals that haven't often been given much attention in major media. This has been bolstered by the constant message the team pushes through it all: promoting habitat conservation and a greater awareness of the other creatures living on our planet.

During a chat with Mental Floss, Coyote described the goals of his television series, saying it was created "to inspire people to overcome their fears of these seemingly dangerous animals and learn to admire them from a safe distance. The more you understand these creatures, the less you are afraid of them. One of the messages I try to convey in every episode is the importance of conservation."

You can catch up on episodes of Coyote's Brave the Wild via Discovery+, where it is streaming now.