What is Steve Irwin made of?

Intrepid Aussie wildlife presenter Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin has built a career, and small fortune, on pestering the world's reptile community - making his name with action-packed documentaries such as Deadly Crocodiles, Deadly Rattlesnakes, The Ten Deadliest Snakes In The World, Deadly Dragons and Deadly Spitting Cobras - resulting in the current big-screen kiddie-pleaser The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

Catchphrases: 'That's deadly dangerous mate!' seems to be his favourite - referring to whatever lethal reptile he's provoking into a feeding frenzy at the time. A close second is the masterfully understated 'Crikey!' followed by 'Danger! Danger! Danger!' - most hilariously deployed when being chased up a tree by a Komodo dragon.

Hereditary herpetology: Irwin's parents, Bob and Lyn, founded Queensland Reptile And Fauna Park in the 1960s and Steve captured his first crocodile at the age of nine. Steve's wife Terri is a fellow conservationist and their four-year-old daughter Bindi Sue, named after Steve's favourite croc Bindi and dog Sue, is following in their footsteps, having already been bitten on the nose by a snake. And they say that smacking can traumatise kids.

Shorts: While most of us would face these fangwielding fiends dressed in a suit of armour and carrying a Kalashnikov, Steve eschews such paraphernalia, favouring his protection-free khaki shorts and shirt - only donning a pair of 'sunnies' to avoid getting venom in his eyes when facing spitting cobras. Crikey!

Reckless enthusiasm: The secret of Steve's success is that he's an overgrown cub scout - genuinely not giving a second thought to picking a rattlesnake up by its tail, swinging it about a bit, pointing it at the camera and exclaiming 'You beauty!' If an American did this, we'd assume it was a self-promoting display of machismo, but Steve's unaffected Antipodean charm means that we squirm and nod indulgently, hoping the green mamba snake he's poking with a stick doesn't bite him in the face.

Crocodile Hunter - the Collision Course

What is Steve Irwin made of?
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