A Queensland boy born the day after Steve Irwin died and named after the Crocodile Hunter wants to carry on the work started by his namesake.

Tai Irwin Anderson turns 10 tomorrow, but it was this day 10 years ago, September 4, 2006, when his mother Kahlia Pepper went into labour and heard the shocking news of Irwin's death off the north Queensland coast.

She and Tai's father Wil Kemp, a fan of his work and a wildlife enthusiast in his own right, decided to give their second born the middle name Irwin in his honour.

At the time Mr Kemp was the reptile keeper at Rockhampton and had grown up idolising the Crocodile Hunter.

"We heard the news of his death it on the radio. I was very shocked, Steve was a massive inspiration and influence on my life when I was a kid," Mr Kemp said.

Steve Irwin died on September 4, 2006. ( Facebook: Australia Zoo )

"I was a bit heartbroken. My idol, one of my heroes, had just passed away."

Now a decade on, Mr Kemp can see a bit of his idol in his own son.

"He's probably a bit like Steve and myself in the way he doesn't really concentrate in class, he's more worried about what's going on out the window. He's very proactive at protecting the wildlife at the school," he said.

"I think he'll go into that line of work one day ... he's extremely passionate."

'I might want to be an animal doctor'

Tai himself said he was keen on doing something involving animals when he was older.

"I might want to be an animal doctor ... or an animal cop ... something with animals," he said.

Tai helps his father look after an extensive collection of snakes, venomous and non-venomous, as well as stone fish, goannas, and funnel-web spiders.

Among his favourite pets are a coastal carpet python named Cassius, and hermit crabs Spite and Bernstein.

"I like watching them climb ... what they do ... like pushing over rocks so they can get their way," he said.

Just like Steve, Tai has a fascination with all wildlife. ( Supplied: Wil Kemp )

Tai said his favourite encounter with wildlife came when he was just a toddler.

"[When I was] a baby it was my first time picking up a snake all by myself," he said.

And just like the Crocodile Hunter, Tai has his eyes on preserving the planet for generations to come.

"Stop polluting, full stop. I've learned that from my school and my dad," he said.

"I know what it does to turtles, to heaps of things ... so just stop polluting."

Bob humbled to hear story of Tai's naming

Mr Kemp had the chance to tell Bob Irwin about the impact his son Steve had on him and his family.

"I got to work with him on a coupe of occasions when I was involved in a crocodile conservation group up here," Mr Kemp said.

"The first time he was such a great guy, such a nice fella. He was more than happy to spend as much time with members of the public just answering questions.

"I didn't want to freak him out so it wasn't until the second time that I got to work with him ... I said 'I don't want to come across as a crazy fan' and told him the story.

"He was really humbling. He got a bit teary-eyed, I got a bit teary-eyed. He gave me a really warm hug and said it meant a lot to him."