Steve Irwin, the man known as the "Crocodile Hunter," is being remembered by millions of fans around the world for his bravery and his humor.

Slideshow: 10 Deadliest U.S. Animals

Experts say attacks from stingrays are incredibly rare, and most happen when someone steps on a ray unknowingly.

"It's like getting hit by lightning," said Jack Hanna from the Columbus Zoo, who knew Irwin and is equally famous on TV for his work with wild animals.

The last reported fatal stingray attack in Australia was in 1988, says the newspaper The Australian, and only three fatal such attacks have ever been recorded in Australia.

In fact, there have been fewer than 20 fatal ray attacks worldwide.

In the U.S., it's rare for someone to die in an encounter with an animal, and in fact, most fatalities are related to accidents and other nonhostile encounters.

The most recent U.S. government data from 2003 showed that accidents involving horses and deer accounted for the most fatalities involving people.

Link: National Safety Council Odds Of Dying From Various Incidents

Cattle, dogs and insects were next on the list.

Ray Davis of the Georgia Aquarium said stingrays only use the razor-sharp, often poisonous barbs when threatened, like when they have to ward off their principal predator -- sharks.

Otherwise, Davis said, stingrays are truly passive creatures.

Stingrays usually are not aggressive, so why did the animal attack him?

Irwin avoided fatal mishaps for years during close encounters with animals considered far more dangerous -- such as whales in the Antarctic and the crocodiles that made him famous.

"This is so unusual," said Steve Blair of the Aquarium of the Pacific. "It would have to be a large ray (that would) hit you in the exactly wrong spot."

The wrong spot was Irwin's heart. He died despite his crew's desperate attempts to save him.

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