‘This is where my love and fascination of crocodiles began… with my dad.’

Robert Irwin has shared a heartfelt tribute to his father Steve Irwin, vowing to keep the late wildlife conservationist’s legacy alive.

While Robert continues to storm the Dancing With The Stars ballroom in the US, where he’s tipped to win the competition, his wildlife work remains at the forefront.

On Tuesday, he took some time out from dance rehearsals to highlight a key area of his conservation work.

The 21-year-old posted on Instagram about the important role crocodiles play in the ecosystem, sharing his passion to protect the reptile began in childhood, inspired by his father’s early work with the animals.

“This is where my love and fascination of crocodiles began… with my dad,” he shared alongside a carousel of photos.

“He taught us all to appreciate all animals, even the less cuddly ones.

“These animals play a vital role in the ecosystem and they are in need of our protection as a keystone species.

“Crocodile conservation is at the core of our work together, to keep my dad’s legacy alive.”

Known around the world as The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin dedicated his life to studying and protecting these apex predators.

By the age of nine, he was already helping catch small problem crocodiles. As his passion grew, Steve spent months at a time in the remote regions of far north Queensland, capturing and relocating problem crocodiles for the government.

He went on to develop capture and management techniques now used globally in crocodile conservation.

Today, Robert — alongside his sister Bindi and their mum Terri — proudly carries on that legacy.

Terri expressed her pride in a comment on Robert’s post, writing she was grateful to see him continuing his “dad’s mission and message of wildlife conservation”.

“Crocodiles are among our most important apex predators, and your research, rescue and education work with these saurians is so very important,” she added.

The Irwin family is currently in the US, supporting Robert as he continues to wow audiences and judges with his standout performances each week.

In his most recent appearance , the TV host stunned the judges with a near-perfect paso doble alongside his dance partner Witney Carson for rock and roll week.

The routine was performed to Icky Thump by The White Stripes, with Robert dressed in a dramatic matador-style outfit.

The powerful dance — filled with capes, flags, flips, spins and jumps — kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

The judges were equally impressed, awarding the pair a total of 38 out of 40, with two scores of nine out of 10 and two perfect scores of 10.

“The thunder from Down Under has unleashed a grandiose paso doble!” judge Bruno Tonioli declared.

One familiar face was missing from the audience — Robert’s sister, Bindi.

The former Dancing With The Stars winner missed her brother’s performance, after sharing on Instagram that she, her husband Chandler and their daughter Grace had caught a bug.

“We’re going to cheer from our living room,” Bindi posted on October 22.

Robert’s latest performance follows last week’s bone-chilling Halloween routine, where Robert was splattered in fake blood — earning the pair their first 10.