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
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSpeakingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingScienceWriting
Knowledge areas
BiologyEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceMathematicsGeography
Technology & tools
Analytical or scientific softwareOffice suite softwareData base user interface and query softwareElectronic mail softwareGeographic information system
Representative tasks
Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.Conduct literature reviews.Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings.Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases.Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease.Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
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
48 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
ZoologistMicrobiology (Army 71A)Habitat BiologistWetland ScientistHerpetologistFish and Wildlife BiologistNaturalistFisheries and Wildlife Biological ScientistField NaturalistAquaristFish CulturistForest Wildlife BiologistWetland EcologistWildlife Refuge SpecialistFisheries Management BiologistLepidopteristFishery BiologistWildlife Technician (Wildlife Tech)Wildlife SpecialistResearch ScientistMigratory Game Bird BiologistEthologistProtozoologistOrnithologistCell BiologistShark BiologistFisheries BiologistIchthyologistLimnologistWildlife BiologistBehavioristMammalogistConservation BiologistEntomology (Army 72B)Aquatic BiologistFish ConservationistAnimal BiologistWildlife ConservationistMarine ScientistAnimal Care Specialist (Army 68T)