Terri Irwin says Robert is 'so much like his dad' as he celebrates 13th birthday

He's traded the blonde bowl cut for a cooler teenage 'do, but Robert Irwin is keeping his father's legacy alive as he marks his 13^th birthday today at Australia Zoo.

Sounding just like his late dad Steve, the aspiring photographer brought a heap of that trademark enthusiasm to his latest interview on TODAY. Just wait till you see his ecstatic reaction to receiving a little birthday gift from the TODAY team – it's pure Irwin!

He also celebrated by setting up an Instagram account with the help of that social media mega-star sister of his, Bindi, who has 1.3 million followers.

Robert said his page will feature his wildlife photography, which is also on display at his family's zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

"I didn't realise this until quite recently, but dad was just mad keen for photography," Robert added.

His mum Terri beamed about her little boy carrying on her husband's legacy as a young adult.

"It's amazing because he's so much like his dad," she said. "Robert's into photography and wildlife and getting into the ocean. All the things that Steve loves. So it's very beautiful watching Robert grow up."

Like his dad, Robert's not afraid of getting up close with the animals, too. In the video above, he feeds a giraffe a carrot with his mouth, pats a rhino as if it were a puppy, and casually wraps a python around his neck. Yep, that's all pretty Instagram-worthy, right? 

But Robert, affectionately known as "Bob", doesn't have much fear when it comes to animals.

He told 2DayFM's Rove and Sam this morning that he was once bitten by the "biggest snake in Australia", the wild scrub python.

"All of a sudden it decided to get really angry and it latched onto my ankle, and it bit me really, really hard. It was amazing. It was so cool to watch!" he said.

"It was so funny, because my whole sock just turned red with blood and everyone was just freaking out.

"But the thing is, it's not the snake's fault and it wasn't that bad. It bleeds a lot, but it's not a bad injury at all…it was quite hilarious."

Do be careful, young Bob!

Catch up on TODAY at 9Now.