Who Is Tim Friede? Age, Biography, and Wiki
As of 2025, Tim Friede is 54 years old. Born on July 26, 1971, in the United States, he has gained prominence as a snake collector and enthusiast, known for his extraordinary feats involving some of the world's most venomous snakes. Tim's unique approach to interacting with these reptiles not only showcases his dedication but has also raised awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.
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| Age | 57 Years |
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Popularity
Tim Friede's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Tim Friede stands at an impressive height of 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) and weighs approximately 185 pounds (84 kg). His athletic build is a testament to his active lifestyle, which often includes fieldwork as he captures and studies snakes. Although not much is publicly disclosed about his exact body measurements, his strong physique reflects his dedication to both physical fitness and his intriguing profession.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
In 2025, Tim Friede is reportedly single, although details about his dating life remain private. He tends to keep his personal relationships away from the public eye. Friede has previously been open about the importance of his family, particularly when discussing the support he received from them during his early career. His dedication to his work as a snake collector often takes precedence, making it difficult to maintain a long-term relationship.
He was adopted when he was three months old, and spent his childhood living in a suburb around Milwaukee. He had a lifelong interest in snakes, and was first bitten by a harmless garter snake when he was five years old. In high school, he frequently hunted garter snakes in rural Wisconsin, and acquired a snake as a pet.
Initially planning to join the United States military, he fractured his ankle at an Army boot camp when he was 19, and instead took up a job as a window-washer for high-rise buildings in Milwaukee. He later got a job working in construction.
When Friede was 30, he enrolled in a venom extraction class, learning how to milk venom from spiders and scorpions. After acquiring a copperhead as a pet in 2000, he became interested in self-immunization to snake bites, and began injecting himself with small amounts of venom extracted from his snakes.
He amassed a large collection of snakes, at one point housing over sixty in his basement.
On September 12, 2001, drunk and distracted by the recent death of a family friend, he was bit by two different snakes; an Egyptian cobra bit one of his fingers while he was milking it, although he was little-affected due to his prior injections of cobra venom.
He was bit by a monocled cobra in his bicep an hour later, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Rushed to the hospital by his wife and his neighbor, he was revived with antivenom acquired from a local zoo, and awoke from a coma four days later.
Net Worth and Salary
Tim Friede's net worth in 2025 is estimated to be around $1 million. His diverse sources of income include snake-related ventures, social media sponsorships, and appearances in documentaries and television shows. His engagement with millions of fans has made him a notable figure in the field, contributing significantly to his earnings.
Career, Business and Investments
Tim Friede's career as a snake collector began as a hobby that evolved into a full-fledged business. His remarkable talent for handling venomous snakes has made him a sought-after expert in the field. In addition to his collecting endeavors, Tim has also ventured into snake-related merchandise and educational content, focusing on promoting awareness and respect for these misunderstood creatures.
In 2025, he has also started investment initiatives aimed at conservation efforts. This includes partnerships with wildlife organizations to ensure sustainable practices in snake handling and preservation of their habitats.
After receiving perennial media attention over the 2000s and 2010s, he was contacted by immunologist and biotechnology researcher Jacob Glanville, who saw his acquired resistance as crucial to the development of a broad-spectrum snake antivenom.
In a 2025 study published in Cell, two of these antibodies, combined with the anti-inflammatory agent varespladib, proved effective in countering thirteen out of nineteen venoms in a sample of nineteen snake venoms, and was partially effective against the remaining six.
He works as the director of herpetology at Glanville's biotechnology company, Centivax.
Social Network
Tim Friede has a robust presence on various social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. His YouTube channel, with over 1 million subscribers, features thrilling videos showcasing his daring encounters with snakes, educational content about their care and habits, and discussions about snake conservation. His Instagram account, where he shares captivating images and stories from his adventures, has garnered a following of over 500,000 fans.
Friede had believed since 2003 that his blood could be used to create an antivenom, but did not initially find interest among immunologists he contacted. He began to be disillusioned with the self-immunization practice by the mid-2010s.
By 2017, he worked building military trucks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, when he was contacted by immunologist Jacob Glanville, an antivenom researcher, who had discovered Friede through a newspaper story about his YouTube videos and felt that he could be instrumental in developing a general-purpose snake antivenom.
Friede agreed to supply Glanville with his blood for antibodies, agreeing to split any profits from a resulting antivenom equally.
Education
While specific details about Tim Friede's educational background are not widely available, his expertise and knowledge in herpetology suggest a keen understanding of reptiles and wildlife. His hands-on experience as a snake collector speaks volumes about his dedication to learning from the field and sharing that knowledge with others.
Timothy Friede (born c. 1968) is an American mechanic and snake collector who intentionally exposed himself to various forms of snake venom in order to acquire immunity. A lifelong enthusiast of snakes, he began injecting himself with snake venom in 2000 after taking a venom extraction class.
After being bitten by two cobras on the same night in 2001 and being left comatose for four days, he resolved to develop an advanced immunity to a variety of snakebites, amassing a collection of over sixty snakes and teaching himself immunology. He injected himself with snake venom over 800 times, and was bitten around 200.
