Go inside the incredible adventures of the "Crocodile Hunter."
Known for his fearlessness around dangerous animals and his signature “Crikey!” catchphrase, Steve Irwin was a widely beloved Australian wildlife expert, conservationist, and television personality.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, millions of people around the world tuned in to see the “Crocodile Hunter” capture massive saltwater crocodiles and handle venomous snakes. His devotion to “conservation through exciting education” was legendary — and his legacy is carried on by his family today.
Dive into these 33 pictures exploring the wild life of Steve Irwin.
The Early Life Of Steve Irwin In Pictures
Steve Robert Irwin was born on February 22, 1962, to his parents Lynette "Lyn" Hakainsson and Bob Irwin in Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia.
His mother was a maternity nurse and wildlife rehabilitator and his father was a plumber and conservationist. Together, they raised Steve and his two sisters in the wilds of Australia and fostered within them a deep love for nature. The family then moved to Beerwah, Queensland, where Bob and Lyn opened the Beerwah Reptile Park (which later became Australia Zoo).
Tony FrisbyA young Steve Irwin at the beach.
From an early age, Steve Irwin loved animals. On his sixth birthday, he received his dream pet: a scrub python he named Fred. By the time he was nine, he was already traveling with his father to capture small "problem" crocodiles. This involved not only jumping on them but wrestling them.
As he grew older, he was able to capture crocodiles on his own. During his time volunteering for the Queensland Government's East-Coast Crocodile Management Program in the 1980s, he successfully captured more than 100 crocodiles, all of which were moved elsewhere or housed in his family's park.
Tony FrisbySteve Irwin as a teenager.
In 1991, Bob Irwin felt so confident in his son's abilities that he handed over the management responsibilities of the family's park to him.
The Crocodile Hunter Makes It Big On Television
Steve Irwin's first year managing the park was a huge success. Meanwhile, he had crossed paths with John Stainton, a producer who was interested in creating a documentary about his wildlife adventures. This led to the filming of what would become the pilot of Irwin's The Crocodile Hunter series.
Filmed in 1992, the pilot featured both Steve and his new wife, Terri, an American naturalist who'd met him just a year earlier while visiting his family's park. It was love at first sight, and the two newlyweds happily spent their honeymoon catching crocodiles with a film crew by their side.
By the late 1990s, The Crocodile Hunter was picked up as a series, broadcasting not only across Australia but all over the world. Irwin quickly became a household name as viewers watched in awe at his remarkable skills with wild animals from the comfort of their homes.
Maximum Film/AlamyA picture of Steve Irwin and his wife Terri Irwin in The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002).
As Irwin's fame grew, he went on to film over 300 episodes of The Crocodile Hunter and other shows like Croc Diaries, Croc Files, and New Breed Vets.
Meanwhile, the Irwins welcomed their daughter Bindi in 1998.
The next few years of their lives were busy ones. Steve Irwin continued to appear in television shows and commercials, building up his family's brand. Most of the money made from these endeavors went directly to conservation, supporting the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation (now called Wildlife Warriors) and other similar organizations.
In 2002, Steve Irwin famously starred in the adventure comedy film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, in which he played himself.
Irwin's reputation as a beloved cultural icon only strengthened in 2003, when he rescued a stranded scuba diver off the coast of Mexico. That same year, Steve and Terri Irwin welcomed their son (and final child) Robert.
All in all, Irwin was happy with the life he had built, and everything seemed to be going well until a tragic accident upended the Irwin family in 2006.
The Death And Legacy Of Steve Irwin
Peter Righteous/AlamyA sign that reads "Steve Irwin Way," leading to the Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia.
On September 4, 2006, Steve Irwin was filming a new series called Ocean's Deadliest at Batt Reef (part of the outer Great Barrier Reef in Australia) when a stingray suddenly attacked him in the water. The barb pierced his heart, leading to Steve Irwin's death at age 44 just moments later.
The loss was felt globally, but especially in Irwin's home country. "I am shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely, and freakish death," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said, according to NBC.
Irwin's producer John Stainton, who was with him during the fatal accident, said, "The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist, and one of the proudest dads on the planet. He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind."
Following Steve Irwin's death, he was posthumously honored with a 334,000-acre wildlife reserve established in his name, a new snail species being named after him (Crikey steveirwini), the Queensland Greats Award, and eventually, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Robert Irwin/InstagramToday, many of Steve Irwin's family members, including his son Robert (bottom), carry on his legacy at the Australia Zoo.
Even today, his shows are still watched by people around the world, and his memory lives on through his family's work at the Australia Zoo.
His widow, son, daughter, and son-in-law work at the zoo and devote their time to conservation and wildlife rehabilitation. For the 700,000 annual visitors to the zoo, the memory of Steve Irwin is never far away.
But the memory is most deeply felt by Irwin's loved ones. His daughter Bindi, now in her 20s, once said: "To the world, he will be remembered as the greatest Wildlife Warrior. To our family, he will be remembered as our world."
After looking through these pictures of Steve Irwin, dive into the story of Julia "Butterfly" Hill, the environmental activist who lived in a redwood tree for two years. Then, read the tragic story of Timothy Treadwell, the "Grizzly Man" who dedicated his life to bears — until they ate him.
