Robert Irwin, the 22-year-old son of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, has revealed one of the most terrifying experiences of his career: being pinned underneath a 700-pound, 14-foot crocodile after the animal launched into a death roll during a wildlife research expedition in Australia.
Irwin shared the story while appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, with the twist that the crocodile responsible for the near-fatal incident was named after the host himself. Jimmy Fallon, the crocodile, apparently had no interest in honouring the arrangement.
The research technique that put Irwin in danger was actually developed by his father. It involves physically jumping onto the backs of wild crocodiles in order to study them up close and contribute to conservation efforts. As Irwin explained on the show, his dad came up with it as the most effective way to research crocodiles in the wild.
On this particular occasion, Irwin jumped onto the back of the 14-foot animal as planned, only for Jimmy Fallon the crocodile to immediately launch into a death roll, a violent hunting technique in which a crocodile clamps onto its prey and spins its entire body with tremendous force. Irwin found himself trapped underneath the animal with his arm hanging out. He kept his composure long enough for the crocodile to roll back over, creating just enough of a window for him to escape.
Irwin is no stranger to close calls, having grown up surrounded by dangerous wildlife at his family's Australia Zoo in Queensland. He recently won Dancing with the Stars in November 2025 and has since fronted a campaign for Columbia Sportswear involving significantly less dangerous inflatable crocodiles in the Australian outback.
Would you jump on a crocodile for science? 👇
