Reptiles

A snake breeder, Mr. Barczyk amassed an online following in the millions with cheerful videos that captured his passion for snakes, lizards and other types of reptiles.Brian Barczyk, a world-famous reptile expert whose upbeat videos attracted millions of fans on social media and who starred in the reality TV show “Venom Hunters” on Discovery, died on Sunday at his home in Michigan. He was 54.The cause was pancreatic cancer, according to Stephanie Kent, a representative for The Reptarium, a reptile zoo that Mr. Barczyk founded with his wife, Lori Barczyk, in Utica, Mich.Mr. Barczyk’s love of reptiles began as a boy. He has said his earliest memory was coming across a ball python at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit.“I remember that like it was yesterday, and ever since, I’ve just been obsessed,” Mr. Barczyk told the Hollywood Soapbox in 2016. “No one taught me this obsession. I always tell people, I was born with a reptile gene because it’s just in me. I spent every summer catching garter snakes out in the local woods.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More