The naturalist and explorer gave a talk on wildlife conservation at the university after performing in his sell-out theatre show, Ocean, at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
The BAFTA-winning TV star and best-selling author, who has made programmes such as Deadly 60 and Expedition, is an honorary lecturer at Bangor University, and was awarded an honorary degree by the university earlier this year.
Speaking to students at the event Steve said:
You’ve all made the best decision of your lives coming to Bangor University, and I want you all to make the most of it, treasure it, use it as best as you possibly can.
On your doorstep you have natural wonders that almost nobody else in the nation has at university so please use them to their full extent.
Dr Christian Dunn, who talked to the BBC presenter on stage as part of his lecture at Bangor, said: “Many of our students grew up watching Steve on TV and it's him that inspired them to study the natural sciences - it's wonderful to see how much it means to them when they get to meet him.
“Chatting to him on the stage was a real privilege as he's so knowledgeable and experienced in the field - he's also a genuinely great guy with a brilliant sense of humour!”
The wide-ranging talk by Steve covered everything from politics to poaching, and deforestation to shark conservation.
Bangor University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oliver Turnbull, said,
“It’s always fantastic to welcome Steve Backshall to Bangor – he is such a knowledgeable naturalist and experienced adventurer.
“We’re really fortunate Steve is one of our honorary lecturers, though it’s no surprise he likes Bangor University so much when you consider how good we are at teaching and researching the natural sciences.”
If you’d like to see clips of Steve Backshall’s talk then follow the Bangor University’s School of Environmental and Natural Sciences on social media.