The giant Asian centipede is an animal that is “best admired from a safe distance.”
So says wildlife expert Coyote Peterson. And he should know, because he allowed one of these highly venomous creatures to bite him in the name of science and to raise money for rhino charity Save The Horns.
Coyote, the face of the renowned wildlife adventure channel Brave Wilderness, knows a thing or two about the scales of pain, having previously been stung by 500 fire ants, a ‘murder wasp’ and bullet ants, to name just a few.
After being bitten by the Asian centipede, he concludes that it is one of the most extreme things he has ever done.
Coyote’s tormentor is a mysterious and potentially lethal giant Thai cherry centipede, which bites him under the watchful eye of Dr. Jordan Wagner, aka YouTube. Emergency physician – during a live streamed event recorded for posterity and now available to watch on YouTube.
Coyote Peterson, the face of the renowned wildlife adventure channel Brave Wilderness, allowed himself to be bitten by a giant Thai cherry centipede (above).
Dr. Jordan Wagner, aka YouTube’s Doctor ER, watches over the proceedings
Coyote explains in the video that he is conducting the experiment to see how his body reacts to the bite using biometric tracking (he is connected to a heart monitor) to find out if it is his most painful experience to date, to “show readers what what a doctor would do to treat these types of stings’, and fourth, raise awareness and financial support for Save The Horns.
The warm-up act for the bite event is a venomous giant Peruvian white-footed centipede, which Coyote ‘handles freely’, letting it crawl around his hand and arm.
He convinces Dr. Jordan to let it crawl up his arm, assuring the medical expert that “there’s only a one in five or two in four chance that the animal will bite him.”
Then the giant Thai cherry centipede appears and Dr. Jordan explains how the centipede’s venom works.
The warm-up act for the bite event is a venomous giant Peruvian white-footed centipede, which crawls along Dr. Jordan’s arm.
He says: ‘Centipede venom contains a neurotoxin and a cardio/myotoxin. The neurotoxin interferes with the ion channels that lead to the nerves, so you can experience horrible pain, paralysis, numbness… that’s the neurotoxin at work.
‘On top of that, you have this cardiomyo-type toxin that will increase your heart rate, which could cause cardiac arrhythmias, which means your heart starts to race, abnormal beats that are coming from the wrong areas of the heart. And that’s when we might need to get someone out of an abnormal rhythm.
Coyote says, “I’m told this bite will put me in the most painful situation I’ve ever been in.”
After being bitten by the Asian centipede, Coyote concludes that it is one of the most extreme things he has ever done in his life.
‘The three most painful are sticking your hand in a box with 200 yellow jackets, the sting of a giant desert centipede and the gimpie-gympie leaf.
‘So this can [be] the new higher level of pain.’
However, Coyote emphasizes that centipede venom is “very unlikely to kill you unless your body has a negative allergic reaction.”
Once Coyote has the centipede under control and holds it between his fingers, he extends a forearm to experience the sting, and Dr. Jordan warns that “we don’t want direct inoculation into its vein.”
Coyote emphasizes that it is “very unlikely that centipede venom will kill you unless your body has a negative allergic reaction.”
Once Coyote has the centipede under control and holds it between his fingers, he extends a forearm to experience the sting, and Doctor Jordan warns that “we don’t want direct inoculation into its vein.”
He advises Coyote to make sure the centipede bites him above or below the main vein and points out a “target spot.”
The centipede bites and Dr. Jordan says “breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.”
“Tell me what you feel,” he says.
Coyote replies: ‘Shaping pain. Oh my God. The pain is intense and right now I feel incredible numbness in my arm. Holy Mackerel.
‘I’m super dizzy. My arm is shaking. He’s convulsing.
Dr. Jordan explains what to do if you are ever bitten by a highly venomous creature.
He says, ‘You want to clean the wound, get to a safe area, get to the hospital, and then what I could do as an ER doctor as far as treatment for you, is [I could give you] anti-inflammatories, strong pain relievers, intravenous fluids, and a heart monitor [which they have in the studio] to monitor blood pressure, heart rate.
Signs of anaphylaxis would be a lump in the throat and a swollen tongue. Doctors would also watch for diarrhea and vomiting.
Coyote describes the consequences of a centipede bite as a ‘shooting pain’
Coyote reveals that even after Dr. Jordan gave him an anti-inflammatory injection, he continued to suffer. He says: “For almost 30 hours I fought against a state of malaise”
Dr. Jordan explains that if a patient is bitten by a highly venomous creature, he would give them anti-inflammatories, strong pain relievers, intravenous fluids, and put them on a cardiac monitor.
Coyote, at this point, reveals that he is “definitely getting worse” and Doctor Jordan notes that his pupils are dilated, part of a “flight or flight response.”
Additionally, Coyote’s calf muscles begin to “lock up.”
Coyote reveals that even after Dr. Jordan gave him an anti-inflammatory injection, he continued to suffer.
He says: “For almost 30 hours I battled a state of discomfort that included waves of intense pain, a sleepless night, and a renewed sense of respect for the potency of centipede venom.”
For more information about Coyote visit www.youtube.com/@BraveWilderness. For more information about Doctor ER, visit www.youtube.com/@DoctorER, twitter.com/DoctorER and www.instagram.com/doctorer.
To donate to Save The Horns visit www.savethehorns.com.