Phil Torres is an American biologist, science communicator, photographer, and television host best known for hosting Expedition X on the Discovery Channel. He is a Cornell University graduate with degrees in entomology and biology. The Denver-born scientist spent over two years living in the Amazon Rainforest, where he discovered more than 45 new species. He is married to Norwegian model Silja Danielsen, and together they have two daughters with a third child on the way.
Phil Torres Wikipedia
| Field | Details |
| Full name | Phillip Torres |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | March 17, 1986 |
| Age | 40 years old (as of April 2026) |
| Place of birth | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Current residence | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed (Nicaraguan, German, Swedish descent) |
| Zodiac sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Not publicly disclosed |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Weight | Approximately 160 lbs (73 kg) |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Silja Danielsen Torres |
| Children | 2 daughters (Atlis Bjear Torres, Fjora Birdie Torres); third child expected June 2026 |
| Alma mater | Cornell University; Rice University |
| Profession | Biologist, television host, science communicator, photographer, explorer |
| Net worth | Estimated $1 million – $5 million |
Who is Phil Torres?
Phil Torres is a multi-talented American scientist who has built a career bridging the gap between scientific research and mainstream media.
He works as a biologist, television host, wildlife photographer, and science communicator, reaching millions of viewers worldwide through his television programs and social media platforms.
He gained widespread recognition for his role as the lead field investigator on Discovery Channel’s Expedition X, a show where he and his co-hosts explore mysterious phenomena, paranormal claims, and unexplained events around the globe. The show premiered in February 2020 and has aired 11 seasons through 2026.
Beyond television, Torres is an active research scientist. His most famous discovery is a spider from the Peruvian Amazon that builds a life-sized decoy of itself using silk, leaves, and dead insects — the only known non-human animal to construct a replica of another animal. This finding was named Wired Science’s number two story of the year in 2012.
How old is Phil Torres? Age and birthday
Phil Torres is 40 years old as of April 2026. He was born on March 17, 1986, in Denver, Colorado, United States. His zodiac sign is Pisces.
Torres shares his birth year with several other well-known personalities. He celebrated his 40th birthday in March 2026, just weeks before the Expedition X Season 11 finale aired on the Discovery Channel.
Phil Torres’s height, weight, and body measurements
Phil Torres stands approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall and weighs around 160 pounds (73 kg). He maintains an active physique given his field work, which often involves trekking through dense rainforests, scuba diving, and other physically demanding outdoor activities.
His shoe size is reported to be 11.5 US, according to his talent management profile at Heffner Management.
Phil Torres’s education
Torres attended Cornell University from 2004 to 2007, where he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Entomology and Biology.
He was part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and was active in the Snodgrass entomology club during his time on campus.
After completing his undergraduate studies, he enrolled at Rice University in Houston, Texas, to pursue doctoral studies in tropical conservation biology. He also continued his hands-on research in the Amazon Rainforest during this period.
Phil Torres’s career
Early career and Amazon Rainforest research
Torres launched his professional career right after graduating from Cornell. He moved to the Peruvian Amazon, where he spent over two years based at the Tambopata Research Center.
There, he led conservation and education projects while conducting research on insect behavior, ecology, and new species discovery.
By the age of 20, he had already helped discover over 40 new species during scientific expeditions in Venezuela and Mongolia. His total career count of new species discoveries now exceeds 45.
His most talked-about scientific finding was the decoy-building spider (Cyclosa genus) in Peru’s Tambopata region.
Torres first documented the behavior in 2012, and the discovery made headlines worldwide, landing features in Wired, BBC, National Geographic, and The Wall Street Journal.
Television career
Torres broke into television in 2013 as the host of TechKnow on Al Jazeera America. He presented over 70 episodes of the half-hour science and technology magazine show, covering stories on innovations and advances in science around the world. The program ran until 2016.
He then served as the in-the-field live correspondent for PBS’s American Spring LIVE, a program that tracked the arrival of spring across America in real time.
During this assignment, he worked as a field biologist, showcasing butterflies, migratory birds, and seasonal changes for viewers.
In 2018, Torres hosted Ready, Set, Pet on The CW network. He also created and hosted Big Metal Bird for United Airlines, a travel and nature series shown during in-flight programming.
Expedition X (2020–present)
His biggest career milestone came in February 2020 when Expedition X premiered on the Discovery Channel.
The show features Torres alongside Josh Gates and a co-host as they investigate mysterious encounters, strange creatures, and supernatural claims at locations around the globe.
For the first seven seasons (2020–2024), Torres co-hosted with paranormal researcher Jessica Chobot. Starting with Season 8, Heather Amaro replaced Chobot as the co-host and has continued alongside Torres through Season 11.
Torres has hosted and filmed more than 100 hours of non-fiction and documentary television during his career. He is also credited as a consulting producer on Expedition X for seasons airing between 2024 and 2026.
During the Season 11 premiere on January 7, 2026, fans noticed Torres’s absence from the first episode. He later clarified that he stepped away briefly for a family-related matter but returned for the rest of the season.
Recent scientific work
Torres has continued publishing scientific research while hosting television programs. In November 2025, he published new findings in the journal Ecology and Evolution about defensive decoy behavior observed in spiders from the Amazon. The paper documented the first known case of a spider mimicking the fungus that kills its own kind.
Other notable achievements
Torres once won $100,000 as a contestant on the game show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, earning more than any other Ivy League graduate who appeared on the program.
He has also been bitten by an anaconda during an expedition into the Intangible Zone in remote Amazonian Ecuador.
He has researched and reported science stories from Mongolia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Sweden, the Arctic, the bottom of the ocean, and the Bahamas, among other locations.
What is Phil Torres’s net worth and salary?
As of 2026, Phil Torres’s net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million. He has built this fortune through several income streams over the past decade.
Income sources
Television hosting forms the primary source of his earnings. His role on Expedition X, which has run for 11 seasons on the Discovery Channel, is his largest television commitment. Before that, he earned from hosting TechKnow (Al Jazeera America), Ready, Set, Pet (The CW), and Big Metal Bird (United Airlines).
Scientific consulting and speaking engagements also contribute to his income. He has appeared at events like the USA Science Festival and is represented by Heffner Management for commercial bookings.
Wildlife photography is another source of revenue for Torres. His nature images have been published in several major outlets. He also leads specialized ecotourism trips to the Tambopata Research Center in Peru, which are sold through his personal website.
Torres is also active on Cameo, where fans can request personalized video messages from him.
Is Phil Torres married? Wife, dating history, and relationship status
Phil Torres is married to Silja Danielsen Torres, a Norwegian model, culinary school graduate, and food blogger. The couple tied the knot on September 23, 2018, at the Nordic Museum in Seattle, Washington.
Their wedding was described as a sustainable ceremony that blended their personalities — the model bride and biologist groom.
Torres and Danielsen first met in 2014 through a mutual scientist friend. Their friendship gradually grew into a romantic relationship. In September 2023, Silja posted on Instagram celebrating five years of marriage with Phil.
Silja Danielsen Torres is of Norwegian heritage and runs a food and wellness platform called “Silja From Scratch.” She attended culinary school in France while pregnant with one of their children, demonstrating her dedication to her craft.
Before meeting Silja, Torres kept his personal life largely private, and no publicly confirmed previous relationships are on record.
Phil Torres’s children
Phil Torres and Silja Danielsen Torres have two daughters with a third child — a boy — expected in June 2026.
Their first daughter, Atlis Bjear Torres, was born on March 20, 2022, during the Spring Equinox. Discovery Channel announced the birth on their official social media pages, confirming that Torres had temporarily stepped away from filming Expedition X for the occasion.
Their second daughter, Fjora Birdie Torres, was born on March 15, 2025. Torres shared on Instagram that labor started on the day of an eclipse and that Fjora was born in her amniotic sac — a rare and notable event. He noted that big sister Atlis was excited about her new role.
In September 2025, the couple announced they were expecting their third child, a baby boy, due in June 2026.
Phil Torres’s family
Torres comes from a mixed-heritage family. His father is of Nicaraguan descent, while his mother has German and Swedish roots. He grew up in Denver, Colorado.
His older sister is Eve Torres Gracie, born August 21, 1984. Eve is a former three-time WWE Divas’ Champion, actress, dancer, and martial arts instructor. She is married to Rener Gracie, a member of the famous Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu family. Eve now co-creates the Women Empowered self-defense program alongside her husband.
The Torres siblings share a passion for physical activity and adventure, though their career paths took them in very different directions — Phil toward science and the rainforest, and Eve toward professional wrestling and martial arts.
Phil Torres’s social media presence
As of April 2026, Phil Torres has approximately 274,000 followers on Instagram under the handle@phil_torres. He uses the platform mainly to share field photography, behind-the-scenes footage from Expedition X shoots, family moments, and updates on his scientific research. His content frequently features wildlife encounters and scenic shots from his global travels.
On Facebook, his page “Phil Torres” has over 66,000 followers, where he posts episode updates and science news. He describes himself as “Entomologist, TV Host, Field Biologist, Jungle Guy, Science Reporter, Photographer.”
Fast facts about Phil Torres
- Torres discovered over 45 new species during scientific expeditions before turning 30, with early discoveries made in Venezuela and Mongolia.
- He won $100,000 on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, more than any other Ivy League graduate who appeared on the show.
- He once allowed a parasitic botfly to mature inside his shoulder — all in the name of science — which gained him attention beyond the academic world.
- He was bitten by an anaconda during an expedition into the Intangible Zone in remote Amazonian Ecuador.
- Torres has taken a submarine to the bottom of the ocean and an icebreaker ship into the Arctic for science reporting assignments.
- His sister, Eve Torres Gracie, is a three-time WWE Divas’ Champion and is married to Rener Gracie.
- Torres and his wife Silja had a sustainable-themed wedding at the Nordic Museum in Seattle in September 2018.
- In late 2024, Torres and his family lived temporarily in the south of France.
- His decoy spider discovery from 2012 continues to be studied, with new related findings published in Ecology and Evolution in November 2025.
- He has hosted and filmed more than 100 hours of non-fiction and documentary television during his career.
Read more: Meghann Gunderman age, height, net worth,husband Jason Sehorn, family, career
Wrapping up
Phil Torres has carved a unique path as one of the few working scientists who successfully transitioned into mainstream television.
From his early days catching insects in the Amazon to hosting one of the Discovery Channel’s longest-running investigation series, he has stayed true to his roots in entomology and conservation.
With a growing family, active scientific publications, and Expedition X continuing to air new seasons, Torres remains a prominent figure in science communication and adventure television as of 2026.
References
- Discovery Channel. “Get to Know Expedition X Host Phil Torres”.
- IMDb. “Phil Torres – Biography”.
- PBS Nature. “Meet Phil Torres – Field Biologist, American Spring LIVE”.
- Famous Birthdays. “Phil Torres – Age, Bio, Family”.
- CelabMagazine. “Phil Torres Age, net worth, wife, children, career”.
- Cornell CALS. “Exploration for Conservation with Phil Torres ’07”.
- Rainforest Expeditions. “New species of Decoy Spider likely discovered at Tambopata Research Center”.
- Wikipedia. “Eve Torres”.
Disclaimer: The information on Star Vistiq is collected from trusted public sources. We strive for accuracy but cannot guarantee completeness of celebrity profiles, net worth estimates, or biographical data. Readers should verify information independently. For corrections or inquiries, contact: info@starvistiq.com.
