While Robert Irwin has been busy following in his late father Steve’s footsteps, both at Australia Zoo and on television, his mother says there is one unlikely thing that sets them apart.

While speaking at the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas on the weekend, Terri Irwin reflected on how “incredibly special” it has been to carry on the late conservationist’s legacy as a family.

“Everything started so small,” Terri, 61, said of her husband and the the transformation of the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park into the Australia Zoo.

“It was two acres (0.8 hectares), it was a few animals, and it was no filming. And so to see where we’ve gone, and to have Steve embrace that, was so impressive,” she said.

“It was a lot of work, it was a lot of grief,” Terri said of her and Robert’s life since Steve Irwin’s death in 2006.

“But I will say the one thing that Robert’s got that Steve didn’t – Steve never took his shirt off for wildlife,” she joked.

Robert first showed off his impressive torso in a racy underwear campaign for Bonds last year.

Irwin again bared his bod for Dancing with Stars. Photo: Disney

He followed it up when appeared shirtless while performing in season 34 of the US version of Dancing with the Stars, which he went on to win.

Responding to his mother’s comment, Robert insisted that he has simply been doing “whatever gets the job done”. He added that his late father would always be his “greatest inspiration” in everything he does.

“He would really exemplify what it is to give everything 100 per cent,” Robert said.

“That’s what I take into everything I do. You know, if you have a passion, you really owe it to yourself to give it everything.”

The Irwin family hosts the annual Steve Irwin Gala fundraiser to celebrate “everything the original Wildlife Warrior was most passionate about – family, conservation and fun”.

This year one notable absence was Robert’s sister Bindi, who has been struggling with crippling pain from endometriosis.

“Bindi is doing so much better now,” Terri said in a joint interview with her son Robert on the red carpet.

“Things like a lot of travel are a bit challenging for her at the moment and so she’ll be here next year to celebrate this wonderful night.”

Bindi shared photographs from her hospital bed last year after having emergency surgery in the US to remove her appendix.

Bindi Irwin shared images after her emergency surgery in the US. Photo: Instagram

The then 26-year-old wrote on Instagram she was healing and also detailed her long battle with endometriosis.

“I’ve battled with endometriosis for more than 12 years. This disease is crippling and can make you feel incredibly isolated. We need to raise awareness and change the narrative for women’s health,” she said.

Endometriosis causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside it. Earlier this year Bindi revealed that doctors had removed 50 lesions from her body over the past three years.

Terri said her daughter had been staying close to home in Australia, focusing on her recovery, her five-year-old daughter Grace and her passion for wildlife conservation.

“Ironically, it’s less taxing for her to be home feeding crocodiles,” she said.