Steve Irwin (person)

Creatures that have bitten Steve Irwin

"Some people tempt fate. Irwin chucks it under the chin, scratches it behind the ears and grabs it by the tail."
- Paul Farhi, The Washington Post

Prior to his death, Steve Irwin knew the imminent danger that he faced each time he approached a deadly creature. By his own estimate, Steve Irwin had been bitten by thousands of animals. He had knee reconstruction surgery three times and once required a crocodile's tooth to be removed from his knuckle. Surprisingly, he was never envenomated by a posionous snake, but he was bitten by a number of them: most of them, in fact. Snakes aren't the only creatures to acquire a taste for Irwin.

This illustrious list includes:

• A 4-ft komodo dragon (while in Sumatra);
• A tree snake that fell into his boat and bit him repeatedly;
• A Reticulated Python. Retics can be constrictive, but this particular snake only seemed interested in biting;
• A number of cockatoos and parrots. According to Irwin, "for some reason parrots have to bite me. That's their job. I don't know why that is. They've nearly torn my nose off. I've had some really bad parrot bites."
• Several lizards, a pair of Tokay Geckos and a Perenti goanna;
• A python (captured on film in the first season of Crocodile Hunter, Episode 2);
• Many alligators;
• There are 23 different species of crocodile, and as far as I can tell he's been bitten by all of them, including:
  • Graham, one of the crocodiles at the Australia Zoo. Graham gripped Steve's hand and dragged him underwater, but Steve managed to ease his way out. (This was caught on film in an episode named "Graham's Revenge.");
  • Agro, another resident of the Australia Zoo who attacked Steve while he was mowing the lawn;
  • Toolmaker, a 6-ft female crocodile at the Australia Zoo, who bit him for the hell of it;
  • Anthony, one of the crocodiles that Steve, the Australian Army and the World Society for the Protection of Animals rescued and sheltered in East Timor (also caught on film in a Crocodile Hunter episode).
• A bearded dragon, which bit Irwin on the nose.

Steve was struck in the face with the venom of a spitting cobra in Masai, kicked by a cassowary, groped by a baby orangutang and licked on the face by a fierce snake. He insisted, "Although I've taken a few bites, it's always been my mistake, not the animal's."

To Steve Irwin's credit, his practical knowledge about animals was considered highly valuable. He was a consultant on Survivor II: The Australian Outback and worked with a state-funded crocodile relocation program in northern Australia.