Elliot "The Snake" Mercer
Snake Researcher / Slithering Scientist
Elliot "The Snake" Mercer
Snake Researcher / Slithering Scientist
Elliot Mercer was a very unusual man who became famous for living without a spine. After discovering a completely new way to move, he earned the nickname “The Snake,” a name that followed him for the rest of his life. His strange condition shocked doctors and amazed scientists, especially once he began moving in ways no human ever had before.
Elliot Mercer was born on March 12, 1944. His life changed after he broke his spine and was forced to stay in bed. Just three minutes later, Elliot realized he could no longer move like a normal person. Instead of giving up, he discovered he could slither across the floor, moving smoothly like a snake. Once people saw this, they started calling him “The Snake,” a nickname that stuck immediately.
Later in life, Elliot Mercer joined snake research missions, where his ability to move like a snake made him incredibly useful. Sadly in 2026, at 82 years old, Elliot was bitten by a venomous Pyrosnake during one of these missions and died. Even though his life ended that day, his work with snakes continued to help scientists long afterward.
Elliot Mercer helped the world by slithering alongside snakes and sharing important information with scientists so they could better research and understand snakes. His unique movement allowed researchers to observe snakes in ways they never could before.
His nickname “The Snake” came from how he learned to move.
His best friend was Pyrosnake, until it killed him.
His mom’s middle name was Mary, which was also the name of a scientist he had a crush on.
You might think his favorite animal was a snake—but it was actually a Pyrosnake.
Chairs were completely useless to him.