Occupation · SOC 19-1023
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
279 mapped
Core skills
SpeakingReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingActive ListeningWritingScienceCoordinationActive LearningTime ManagementMonitoringSystems AnalysisSocial PerceptivenessPersuasionNegotiationSystems EvaluationService OrientationMathematicsManagement of Personnel ResourcesLearning StrategiesInstructingOperations MonitoringManagement of Material ResourcesManagement of Financial ResourcesQuality Control AnalysisTechnology DesignOperations AnalysisOperation and ControlProgrammingTroubleshootingRepairingInstallationEquipment SelectionEquipment Maintenance
Knowledge areas
BiologyEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceMathematicsGeographyLaw and GovernmentAdministration and ManagementCommunications and MediaComputers and ElectronicsEducation and TrainingAdministrativePublic Safety and SecurityPersonnel and Human ResourcesMechanicalChemistryTransportationEngineering and TechnologyEconomics and AccountingSociology and AnthropologyTelecommunicationsPsychologyHistory and ArcheologyDesignBuilding and ConstructionPhysicsProduction and ProcessingMedicine and DentistryTherapy and CounselingForeign LanguagePhilosophy and TheologySales and MarketingFood ProductionFine Arts
Technology & tools
Computer modeling softwareCorel WordPerfect Office SuiteDatabase management softwareESRI ArcGIS softwareESRI ArcViewEmail softwareGeographic information system GIS softwareGeographic information system GIS systemsGlobal positioning system GPS softwareHATPROIBM Lotus 1-2-3Microsoft AccessMicrosoft Active Server Pages ASPMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft WordPythonRRelational database softwareSASSalesforce softwareSpreadsheet softwareStatistical softwareWeb browser softwareWord processing software
Representative tasks
Communicating with People Outside the OrganizationWorking with ComputersGetting InformationCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeProcessing InformationAnalyzing Data or InformationDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsThinking CreativelyProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersDocumenting/Recording InformationScheduling Work and ActivitiesEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersDeveloping and Building TeamsEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeoplePerforming Administrative ActivitiesMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesTraining and Teaching OthersGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsCoaching and Developing OthersPerforming General Physical ActivitiesControlling Machines and ProcessesStaffing Organizational UnitsSelling or Influencing OthersAssisting and Caring for OthersHandling and Moving ObjectsRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical EquipmentDrafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Field survey protocols (transects, point counts, camera traps) — execute under a senior biologist's direction on a state wildlife unit.Specimens and biological samples — collect, label, and preserve per protocol on a multi-day field campaign.GPS units and rangefinders — operate accurately while marking observations in remote terrain.Data entry into project databases — complete daily under a project lead's review.Personal protective equipment for wildlife handling — apply consistently in routine capture-and-release work.Common species identification by sight and call — demonstrate within the project's focal taxa.Field-safety procedures (bears, snakes, weather) — follow without prompting on backcountry assignments.Stream and habitat metrics — measure to protocol with a field-equipment checklist.Photographic vouchers — capture and catalogue with metadata on each transect.Daily field notes and incident logs — maintain legibly for a supervisor's review.
developing
Mark-recapture and tagging studies — run routinely under an approved IACUC protocol in a state agency context.Radio and GPS telemetry equipment — deploy, retrieve, and recover data across a study season.Statistical software (R, occupancy and abundance models) — fit standard models to survey data with light supervision.Bird-banding, small-mammal trapping, or fish-electroshocking — lead routine sessions in the project's focal habitats.Habitat assessments per agency standards — complete and write up for working forests or wetlands.Permit conditions (state, USFWS, NMFS) — apply and document during active field operations.Project budgets and material orders — manage for a single study within a research lab.Field crews of 2–4 technicians — train, schedule, and check on routine surveys.Standard environmental DNA and bycatch protocols — follow correctly on monitoring contracts.Technical progress reports — draft for a principal investigator's review at quarterly intervals.
proficient
Multi-year monitoring programs — design, run, and analyze across a state wildlife agency's portfolio.Species status assessments and population viability analyses — lead for at-risk species in a regional context.Bayesian hierarchical and integrated population models — specify, fit, and interpret on agency datasets.Permitting packages (Section 7, MMPA, state listings) — prepare and shepherd through agency review.Stakeholder consultations with tribes, landowners, and NGOs — facilitate during contentious habitat decisions.Field operations across multiple sites and seasons — plan logistics, safety, and data flow.Peer-reviewed manuscripts in applied ecology journals — lead-author from study design through revision.Adaptive-management plans for managed lands — propose, defend, and revise with agency partners.Junior biologists and graduate students — supervise on study design, analysis, and writing.Funding proposals (state, federal, foundation) — author and win for mid-size monitoring projects.
advanced
Long-term recovery and conservation strategies — set direction across a regional or national species program.Cross-agency partnerships and MOUs — negotiate and lead during multi-jurisdiction conservation work.Research portfolios and lab budgets — build and steward as a principal investigator at a university or agency.Policy briefs and expert testimony — produce for legislative and regulatory deliberations.Listing, downlisting, and critical-habitat decisions — inform with rigorous synthesis at federal scale.Disciplinary norms (publishing, peer review, ethics) — model and steward through service to scientific societies.Mentorship of graduate students and early-career biologists — lead pipelines that staff agencies and academia.Strategic priorities for a wildlife program — articulate to legislators, boards, and the public.Crisis response (disease outbreaks, oil spills, invasive incursions) — command across coordinating agencies.Science-to-management translation — institutionalize through standards and decision frameworks.
Also known as
45 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Animal BehavioristAnimal BiologistAquaristAquatic BiologistBehavioristCell BiologistConservation BiologistCryptozoologistDolphin ResearcherEntomologistEthologistField NaturalistFish and Wildlife BiologistFish BiologistFish ConservationistFish CulturistFish TechnologistFisheries and Wildlife Biological ScientistFisheries BiologistFisheries Management BiologistFishery BiologistForest Wildlife BiologistHabitat BiologistHerpetologistIchthyologistLepidopteristLimnologistMammalogistMarine BiologistMarine ScientistMigratory Game Bird BiologistNaturalistNematologistOrnithologistProtozoologistResearch ScientistShark BiologistWetland EcologistWetland ScientistWildlife Biologist