@King_Of_The_Ozarks<\/a> online, hardly flinches when non-venomous snakes sink their teeth into his flesh.<\/p>\nGrowing up in an outdoors-loving family, the 12-year-old told The Post his risk-taking tactics that make most viewers wince are second nature to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elijah, 12, has been dubbed the \u201cLittle Steve Irwin.\u201d King of the Ozarks\/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very outdoorsy,\u201c he said over Zoom. \u201cMy brothers catch snakes also \u2026 My dad also gets bit. I\u2019ve always liked being outside and catching wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elijah, who declined to give his last name, has 116,000 Instagram followers, but he never expected his videos to go viral.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He only started posting to prove to his once-skeptical friends that he\u2019s tough enough to take a snake bite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends didn\u2019t really believe me when I said I got bit and all, so I decided it\u2019d be a good idea to show everybody,\u201d he said. \u201cI was very surprised [when I gained a lot of followers].\u201d<\/p>\n
His page is flooded with videos of himself grabbing snakes like it\u2019s nothing \u2014 remaining calm as he displays the creatures to his fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elijah\u00a0said the snake bites that hurt the most are from Midland water snakes. King of the Ozarks\/Instagram<\/p>\n
But he makes sure to take precautions \u2014 he studies snake skin patterns to make sure the one he\u2019s grabbing isn\u2019t venomous.<\/p>\n
In one video, a North American black racer pounces at the camera before Elijah\u00a0holds up the slithering reptile and lets it bite him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another clip shows Elijah\u00a0jumping into a river and snatching up a giant Midland water snake.<\/p>\n
He said Midland snake bites hurt the most, rating their bites a five out of 10 on the pain scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He keeps followers coming by setting challenges for himself. He recently took on one snake bite for every 10 new followers he got for 12 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elijah holds up a large snake. King of the Ozarks\/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is day 12 of getting bit once every 10 new followers,\u201d Elijah said, with a black snake wrapped around his neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After his previous video, he had gained 250 followers in 24 hours, so he let the snake bite him 25 times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His wilderness escapades aren\u2019t limited to tracking down snakes \u2014 Elijah also loves to test his pain limits with wasps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery 10,000 followers I get stung by a new wasp!\u201d his Instagram bio reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elijah says he knows which snakes are safe to let bite him and which ones to avoid. King of the Ozarks\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Using tweezers, he holds different wasps to his arm until they sting him \u2014 only letting out a brief \u201cahh\u201d in the aftermath before matter-of-factly explaining how it felt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said his family\u2019s onboard with his unconventional hobby, but his mom definitely stresses over the snakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom is a little worried about it,\u201d Elijah said, looking over at her from across the room with a grin. \u201cThat\u2019s why she tries teaching me the venomous ones and the non-venomous ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elijah said the first time he got bitten he was around 9 years old and it was an accident. But once he realized it \u201cdidn\u2019t hurt that bad,\u201d he kept at it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He thinks being called \u201clittle Steve Irwin\u201d is \u201ccool.\u201d King of the Ozarks\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Years later, he\u2019s been dubbed the \u201clittle Steve Irwin\u201d and the \u201cworld\u2019s toughest kid\u201d in his comment sections \u2013 titles he embraces with pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really cool,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he warns other outdoors enthusiasts to do their research before copying his stunts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always have to know what kinds of snakes they are before picking them up,\u201d he warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting bit by a venomous snake is dangerous. And for wasps, getting stung by one that\u2019s stronger than you think [can be dangerous].\u201d<\/p>\n
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