Crocodile Hunter Dead at Age 44

Truly, he was a God of Reptiles.

No serpent, no scaly creature was ever going to kill Steve Irwin; he was their greatest champion. They were his sacred animals. You had only to see him run after a black mamba or rid an African village of vipers to realize that he was St. Patrick, Mercury and every ancient snake god put together.

But alas, he was not a Sea God.

In the end, it was a stingray that killed him, apparently instantly, lashing out with its tail and sending a barb through his heart like a bullet.

He was killed during a diving expedition in the Great Barrier Reef, apparently taken by surprise by the stingray, which is considered a dangerous, but not deadly animal.

Irwin was a great naturalist and environmentalist. His efforts at protecting animals met with great success, and he became an Australian icon. He will be missed, and not just by the crocodiles.