Steve Irwin right, in a 1999 file photo holding a nine-foot female alligator with his American wife, Terri

Australian naturalist Steve Irwin, known as "The Crocodile Hunter," has been killed in a marine accident.

Australian media report Monday that Irwin was killed when a stingray barb punctured his chest during the filming of an underwater documentary off the coast of Port Douglas in the Australian state of Queensland.

The quirky 44-year-old television presenter popularized the word "crikey" in his television nature documentary "The Crocodile Hunter."  The series led to a feature film in 2002.

Irwin often engaged in daring behavior with animals while teaching audiences about wildlife conservation. He and his wife have two young children.