Australia's "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin killed by a stingray

Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist, TV personality and zoo owner who won worldwide acclaim, has died in a marine accident off Australia's northeast coast, local media reported on Monday.

Steve Irwin developed a worldwide following

Queensland state government sources quoted by Australian Associated Press (AAP) said Irwin, 44, whose television show "The Crocodile Hunter" won international acclaim and popularised the phrase "Crikey", was believed to have been killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest.

He was filming an underwater documentary off Port Douglas when the accident occurred, the report said. Paramedics were called but were unable to save him.

Stingrays do not normally attack aggressively, or even actively defend themselves and stingray deaths are rare. When threatened their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when they are attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is mechanically whipped up, usually into the offending foot; it is also possible, although less likely, to be stung "accidentally" by brushing against the stinger.

Irwin won a global following for his daredevil antics but also triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old baby while feeding a snapping crocodile at his Australian zoo.

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