Steve Irwin got bitten by a snake on live TV once and he handled it like an absolute badass

Over the years, Steve Irwin has entertained millions through his incredible work with animals. However, some of the animals that he met were not as friendly as he was. A video going viral on Twitter this week shows the time Irwin was bitten by a snake on an Australian live television show. Instead of panicking—as most people would have—he stayed calm and asked the person operating the camera to zoom in while the snake sunk its teeth into him. 

The presenter, who attained worldwide popularity before his death in 2006, was explaining to the viewers that pythons are harmless. He said: "This one's a python, as you see he won't bite because he can't eat me and he doesn't feel scared, I don't scare him. He won't bite and he hasn't got venom, and that's a python but it's very difficult from a distance to tell a python from a... ahh."

Steve stopped talking but soon explained that he was being bitten by the snake. While many people would have panicked and tried to remove the snake from the neck, Steve instead asked the cameraperson to zoom in so everyone could get a better look. He also checked the footage on the monitors to make sure that the snake biting his neck was clearly visible. He said: "If I watch the telly, I should be able to... can you get close in on this?" The cameraperson obeyed and zoomed in. Soon the snake stopped biting and decided to go. 

As soon as it stopped biting, Steve apologized to his co-presenter saying: "Sorry about that."

Steve would have been 60 today. He developed an interest in animals at a young age. His parents founded the Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park—now known as the Australia Zoo—in 1970, according to Independent. He met his wife Terri Raines there and went on to shoot the first episode of the documentary series, The Crocodile Hunter, during their honeymoon. 

Irwin passed away in 2006 after being stabbed in the chest by a stingray's barb while filming underwater. Now his wife and two children, Bindi and Robert, host their own show called Crickey! It's The Irwins.

On November 15, 2022, the Australia Zoo celebrated Steve Irwin Day to honor the late "crocodile hunter". The event featured special guests and demonstrations, including one from his family, reports Yahoo News. The Irwins can be seen showing off a crocodile to the crowd in a video taken at the event. "He's being a little bit funny. He's a very intelligent crocodile. He's very, very smart," Robert says in the video as he coerces the crocodile towards him.

The event is to celebrate the life and legacy of Irwin and also raise funds for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors. The organization works towards carrying out Steve's conservation work. 

The day has been celebrated every year since 2007 and it invites people to wear khakis in honor of Irwin. This year's celebration also included a live chalk painting mural of the legend, special performances by the Gubbi Gubbi and the original Wiggles—a kids' singing group that collaborated with Irwin in the past.