Steve Irwin spent his entire life in the service of rare and endangered species. His conservation efforts were felt on a global level and his legacy lives on even to this day.
However, there’s a lot more to ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ than a slick accent and khaki shorts.
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Here are 10+ facts about Steve Irwin that you may not have known.
His parents bought him his first python at age 6!
Don’t you wish you had parents like Steve Irwin’s?
My mom would never have let an 11-foot long snake roam free in our house!
His father taught him how to wrestle crocodiles.
At the tender age of nine , Steve Irwin had already become accustomed to wrestling giant crocodiles.
He once fed his son and a crocodile at the same time!
As crazy as it sounds, yes – Steve Irwin fed a crocodile while holding his baby boy, Robert.
As you can imagine, this was met with a myriad of controversies .
Steve Irwin fears nothing…except parrots.
As funny as it might seem, The Crocodile Hunter’s only supposed fear was parrots .
Look at the way that thing ‘bobs’ it’s head – I don’t trust it either.
He once saved a life during the filming of ‘The Crocodile Hunter’.
While filming, Steve heard a distress call that stated two divers were in the vicinity of where the crew was filming.
Steve dropped everything to conduct his own search and rescue and was able to save one of the divers whom he found stranded on a rock.
He and Terri never wore their wedding rings.
When you spend your whole waking life around wild animals, any kind of jewelry can become a liability.
That’s why Steve and Terri opted to not wear their rings on the job.
Steve and Terri were looking for crocodiles on their honeymoon.
It’s not how many would describe their ideal Honeymoon, but Terri and Steve Irwin always marched to the beat of their own drum.
The footage of the encounter would end up becoming the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter .
He bought massive plots of land for conservation.
Thanks to Steve’s efforts , several species have been brought back from the very brink of extinction.
Steve has not one, but TWO species of animal named after him.
This seems fitting.
Apparently there is a species of snail as well as a snapping turtle that shares the Irwin name.
He’s been bitten hundreds of times.
When you work with wild animals, you’re going to get bit. Steve Irwin both knew and embraced this truth:
“There’s no use sticking your head in the sand and going, ‘Oh, no, they’re only here because, you know, I talk well.’ Nah, man, they wanna see me come unglued.” he said.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His family even brought along their 13-foot python to be a part of the celebration.
Steve’s daughter Bindi carries on his legacy.
Bindi is an integral part of the day-to-day operations as well as the global conservation efforts of The Australia Zoo .
His son Robert is the ‘Animal Guy’ for Jimmy Fallon.
Isn’t the resemblance between father and son uncanny?
His daughter is named after his favorite animal.
I know what you’re thinking and no, Steve Irwin’s daughter is not named ‘Crocodile’.
Her namesake, Bindi , however, was the name of one of Steve’s most beloved crocs.
Steve’s house was always a zoo.
Steve’s parents owned a small plot of land with a reptile park . From the time he was a baby, Steve was exposed to animals.
As an adult, Steve bought and expanded upon the land. Today, it is simply known as The Australian Zoo.
