Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.
• Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
• 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.
• Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
• Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
• Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
• Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings.
• Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.
• Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases.
• Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
• Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
• Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
• 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.
• Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease.
• Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
• Conduct literature reviews.
• Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
• Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
• Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.

Skills

• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.

Abilities

• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.

Knowledge

• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Ecology
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Spokane Community College
  1810 North Greene Street, Spokane WA 99217-5399
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-533-8400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://scc.spokane.edu/
  Program Name
  Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Animal Physiology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Zoology/Animal Biology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Environmental Biology
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Zoology/Animal Biology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Entomology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Marine Sciences
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save

  ---

• Whitman College
  345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-5111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitman.edu/
  Program Name
  Environmental Biology
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

82050/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

39.45/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

2,450

Yearly Projected Openings

250

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Initiative
• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Adjustable widemouth pliers
• Air compressors
• Air rifles or air handguns
• All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled
• Animal control traps
• Archery bows
• Axes
• Benchtop centrifuges
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Binoculars
• Boat Trailer
• Calipers
• Calorimeters
• Canoes or kayaks
• Clinometers
• Commercial fishing nets
• Compasses
• Conductivity meters
• Counters
• Desktop computers
• Digital camcorders or video cameras
• Digital cameras
• Dissection kits or supplies
• Dissolved oxygen meters
• Diving instruments or accessories
• Dropping pipettes
• Dry heat or hot air sterilizers
• Drying cabinets or ovens
• Egg inspection or collecting equipment
• Entomological catching equipment
• Flow sensors
• Flying insect control traps
• Forced air or mechanical convection general purpose incubators
• Forestry increment borers
• Fume hoods or cupboards
• Global positioning system GPS receiver
• Handheld refractometers or polarimeters
• Handheld thermometer
• Hard hats
• Laboratory balances
• Laboratory beakers
• Laboratory forceps
• Laboratory funnels
• Laboratory graduated cylinders
• Ladders
• Laser printers
• Magnifiers
• Masks or accessories
• Masks or fins or snorkels
• Micrometers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Personal motorized watercraft
• Petri plates or dishes
• Photo attachments for microscopes
• Pisciculture supplies
• Portable data input terminals
• Protective gloves
• Pull spring balances
• Radio frequency transmitters or receivers
• Rafts
• Rangefinders
• Recreational motorboats
• Rulers
• Safety glasses
• Safety harnesses or belts
• Salinity meter
• Sample changers
• Single gas monitors
• Sledge hammer
• Snowmobiles or snow scooter
• Specimen collection container
• Spectrometers
• Sporting traps
• Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
• Stereo or dissecting light microscopes
• Still cameras
• Surface thermometers
• Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines
• Tape measures
• Telescopes
• Test sieves
• Two way radios
• Ultra cold or ultralow upright cabinets or freezers
• Volumeters
• Water pumps
• Water samplers
• pH meters

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Geographic information system
• Internet browser software
• Mobile location based services software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Presentation software
• Project management software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software