The 10 Best 'Crocodile Hunter' Episodes in Celebration of Steve Irwin

In this episode we see Steve and his wife Terri introducing their favorite crocodiles at the Australian Zoo. With each introduction came an in-depth description of the crocodile’s backstory, which made the episode really interesting because you learned a ton of new info about the species. Needless to say, these crocodiles were some damn whippersnappers, and they weren’t afraid to show it. There were quite a few close calls which made this one a bit tense at times, but that’s what made Steve Irwin…Steve Irwin. He was super fearless, and that contributed to the exciting but sometimes tense nature of the show.

The Eglin Air Force Base in Florida was the destination of choice for the episode “Swimming with Alligators.” The mission at hand for Steve was to get an alligator out of the missile testing zone at the base, which he was able to do successfully. However, because he’s Steve Irwin, however, that mission wasn’t enough for him as he decides to make his way through the Everglades where he’s met with even more dangerous species. Good ole Steve never left a stone unturned.

Sea Turtles were at the center of the episode “Reptiles of the Deep Turtles,” which chronicled the problem of Sea Turtles laying their eggs on land, and their hatched offspring having difficulties making it back into the ocean as a result. This was actually a very informative episode that allowed you to learn a lot about sea turtles, their mating process, and what happens after the eggs are hatched.

“Steve and the Dragon” featured Steve traveling to a remote part of the Indonesian Islands to observe a Komodo dragon. Don’t know about you guys, but it was where I learned that Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. See what we mean when we say Steve was one of our unofficial teachers—we learned stuff from him that we didn’t even learn in school. In this episode we also got to see up close shots of monkeys, geckos, water buffalos and more all in their element—which was pretty neat.

Mr. Irwin didn't just deal with crocodiles—no sir he did not. The man also dealt with sharks—like real life sharks. This episode featured Steve, Terri, and Bindi cruising down the coast of Western Australia where they encountered tiger snakes, swam with wild dolphins, just so happened to breeze right on past a humpback whale as they continued along their journey (the camera footage of which was incredible), and lastly swam with...a whale shark. Yes...a whale shark. Want to know what else Steve Irwin taught us in this episode? That whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. Once again, we didn't learn that in school (well at least I didn't).

Sometimes crocodiles don't understand that they can't just go up in anyplace they want to. In "Crocs in the City," Steve Irwin is contacted by the Mexican government as the "crocs" have invaded the resort towns of Cancun and Tampico (and have no plans to leave either). He's able to catch a couple of them in classic Steve Irwin style, but the real solution is that he works with the Mexican government on a safety plan that helps with keeping crocs away in the first place.

You want to talk about an aggressive crocodile—Casper the White Crocodile not only had a major attitude problem, but he was also super mean towards women which was a double whammy. Also in this episode, an issue pops up where eleven alligators are in need of being relocated at Steve's zoo. Therefore, Steve has to come up with a plan of attack in terms of capturing the gators and moving them to their new residence. Of note: these alligators weren't exactly enthusiastic about the move either, but then again we can't judge because most of us humans hate moving as well.

A show like The Crocodile Hunter also needs a couple of compilation episodes in the mix so that way you can get a recap of both the biggest moments they've experienced and the biggest moments you've watched over the years. In 2002, the episode "Captured on Camera" took you through some of The Crocodile Hunter's biggest moments from the show's early beginnings in 1997, to the latest episode that had ran in 2002. Documenting six years of great footage isn't easy, and this episode had high ratings as everybody wanted to see what the top moments would be.

Another highly-rated episode in the series, "Confessions of The Crocodile Hunter," was all about the accomplishments of Steve, Terri, and the rest of the Irwin gang as at this point (2004), the show had been on for almost a full decade when you consider that it started all the way back in 1997. While not an "active adventure" episode, it's certainly fun seeing all of the family's accomplishments for what was a wildly successful show.

I don't even think Kobe Bryant (who named himself after the black mamba) would have been up for this challenge. In "Africa's Deadliest Snakes," which aired in 2000 as a part of season 3, Steve is on the hunt in Kenya for Africa's most venomous snakes—including the black mamba and the cobra. There were so many close calls and breath holding moments in this episode that it wasn't even funny. That said, this is also without a doubt one of the best and most entertaining episodes of The Crocodile Hunter, so once again the adventure paid off. Long live Steve Irwin and thank you for the beautiful childhood memories and lessons you gave us all.