12 Things That Show Steve Irwin Was One in a Million

Television star, zookeeper, and crocodile hunter: you are probably familiar with Steve Irwin’s work. His amazing charisma and interest in wildlife conservation are very popular because of his show that was broadcast in over 130 different countries. But this TV personality had so many amazing features that there are probably way more facts you still don’t know about him.

That’s why Bright Side thinks he deserves an article dedicated to his most fascinating attributes. Read along on this list and join the adventure that is Steve Irwin’s life.

1. He got a snake on his sixth birthday.

The python that Steve Irwin’s parents got him as a gift was 11 ft long, and he loved it. It’s no wonder that at the age of 9 his father was already teaching him how to wrestle crocodiles.

2. He once fed a crocodile with one hand while he nursed his son with the other.

This moment of multitasking led to some controversy. In one hand, he had a chicken carcass, ready for a crocodile. In the other, he had Bob, his one-month-old son. He went on the TODAY Show and apologized for scaring people, but promised that his son was never in danger. It was just a way of showing how he always knew how to balance his adventurous life, with his love for his family.

3. He had one fear: parrots.

Despite all his courageous deeds, these birds still got on his nerves. But although he admitted feeling uncomfortable around them (especially because of all of the biting), he promised he was always trying to learn more and more to develop a better relationship with them.

4. He bought land to save more animals.

The large pieces of land Steve acquired were in Australia, the USA, and even on some islands in the Pacific Ocean to fulfill his goals of wildlife conservation and save the fauna from those places.

5. He grew up around a zoo.

Living among animals has been a reality to him since an early age, because his parents owned a piece of land with a reptile park. When Steve got older, he became the owner and expanded so much that today that same place is known all around the world as the Australian Zoo.

6. He once saved a life during his show.

*(not the actual photo of the scuba diver)

In the middle of shooting an episode, Steve found out that 2 scuba divers were missing in the same region where they were filming. He dropped everything to go look for them and was able to save one: Scott Jones, who was lying on a rock. The diver is still thankful, to this day.

7. He never wore his wedding ring.

Since both Steve and his wife worked with wildlife, they decided that wearing wedding rings was not the best idea. The objects could easily get in the way and injure the animals around them.

8. He spent his honeymoon catching crocodiles.

The footage from Steve and his wife Terri’s wild adventure became the first episode of the series The Crocodile Hunter.

9. He named his first child after his favorite animal.

Steve’s first child, a girl, was named Bindi, in honor of one of his favorite crocodile. ‘Bindi’ also means “little girl” in some aboriginal dialects.

10. 2 animal species are named after him.

One of them is an odd-looking turtle he found while fishing with his dad. The creature belonged to a species that had never been discovered before. Because of that, the turtle was named “Irwin’s Turtle,” after him. As if that wasn’t not enough, there’s also a snail called “crikey steveirwini” in honor of his name and catchphrase.

11. The Australian government honored him with awards.

This happened several times. He received the Centenary Medal for his work on global conservation and Australian tourism, and was nominated for Queensland Australian of the Year.

12. His legacy of helping animals lives on because of his children.

Steve had a son and a daughter and both of them continued in his line of work. Robert, his son, works at the Australian zoo and Bindi, his daughter, travels around to many reserves across the world and designs clothes that are eco-friendly.

Do you remember some of Steve Irwin’s fascinating moments? What’s your favorite memory from Steve Irwin’s show and life? Share them in the comments.