STEVE Irwin spent every day working with all manner of dangerous creatures - giant crocodiles, poisonous snakes, komodo dragons - but it was a less obvious hazard that claimed his life.

Irwin had taken calculated risks with all sorts of wildlife for decades, relying on his knowledge of animal behaviour and personal experience to beat the odds.

For someone who spent so much time around killer animals, Irwin seemed to leave a charmed life.

So his demise was all the more shocking because it involved a stingray, an animal regarded as dangerous but not as a killer.

Irwin was swimming off the Low Isles off Port Douglas filming a documentary, something he had done on countless occasions.

Irwin, so careful around danger, was taken unawares when the stingray he was filming apparently struck out with its tail, the venomous barbs fatally embedding in his chest.

The death brought to an end a career that began with his father's Sunshine Coast theme park and developed into an international empire in which Irwin was a globally recognised brand.

The first photos are from the Footy Show.