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Career Details

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19-1023.00 - 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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
21,300
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
22,200
Estimate
Change in Employment
800.0
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+4%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
  • Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
  • Make recommendations on management systems and planning for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
  • 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.
  • Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
  • Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.
Supplemental
  • Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Raise specimens for study and observation or for use in experiments.
  • Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Biology
  • 93%
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 English Language
  • 80%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Law and Government
  • 69%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Mathematics
  • 68%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Geography
  • 68%
    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.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 66%
    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.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 66%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Administration and Management
  • 64%
    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.
 Clerical
  • 56%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Communications and Media
  • 55%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 55%
    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.
 Education and Training
  • 54%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 50%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Pest control devices
  • Animal traps
  • Light traps
 Poultry and livestock equipment
  • Egg candlers
 Forestry machinery and equipment
  • Tree corers
 Commercial fishing equipment
  • Bongo nets
  • D-ring nets
  • Dip net samplers
  • Gill nets
  • Jellyfish scoops
  • Plankton nets
  • Seines
 Aquaculture equipment
  • Fish traps
 Specialized and recreational vehicles
  • Snowmobiles
  • All terrain vehicles ATV
  • Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles
 Recreational watercraft
  • Small power boats
  • Canoes
  • Jet skis
  • Rubber rafts
 Product and material trailers
  • Boat trailers
 Forming tools
  • Sledgehammers
 Measuring and layout tools
  • Metric measuring tapes
 Agriculture, forestry and garden handtools
  • Axes
 Holding and clamping tools
  • Adjustable widemouth pliers
 Ladders and scaffolding
  • Extension ladders
 Pumps
  • Water pumps
 Compressors
  • Air compressors
 Laboratory entomological equipment and accessories
  • Aerial nets
  • Odonata nets
  • Sweeping nets
 Laboratory cooling equipment
  • Laboratory freezers
 Laboratory enclosures and accessories
  • Fume hoods
 Laboratory centrifuges and accessories
  • Benchtop centrifuges
 Sampling equipment
  • Folsom plankton splitters
  • Benthic samplers
  • Ekman dredges
  • Multiplate samplers
  • Secchi disks
  • Water samplers
 Specimen collection and transport containers and supplies
  • Scintillation vials
  • Specimen collection containers
  • Water sample collection containers
 Laboratory incubating equipment
  • Laboratory mechanical convection incubators
 Laboratory ovens and accessories
  • Drying ovens
 Laboratory sieves and sifting equipment and supplies
  • Mesh sieves
  • Sieve buckets
 Weight measuring instruments
  • Laboratory balances
  • Monopan balances
  • Spring scales
 Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments
  • Micrometers
  • Laser hypsometers
  • Rulers
  • Vernier calipers
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Dissecting microscopes
  • Photomicroscopes
  • Compound binocular light microscopes
  • Compound microscopes
  • Hand lenses
  • Spotting scopes
  • Binoculars
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Counting chambers
  • Flow meters
 Temperature and heat measuring instruments
  • Calorimeters
  • Field thermometers
  • Water thermometers
 Chemical evaluation instruments and supplies
  • Volumeters
 Gas analyzers and monitors
  • Carbon dioxide CO2 monitors
 Rock and strata measuring equipment
  • Clinometers
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Portable refractometers
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Spectrometers
 Electrochemical measuring instruments and accessories
  • pH meters
  • Conductivity meters
  • Dissolved oxygen meters
  • Salinity meters
 Pipettes and liquid handling equipment and supplies
  • Dropping pipettes
 General laboratory glassware and plasticware and supplies
  • Laboratory beakers
  • Graduated glass laboratory cylinders
  • Laboratory funnels
 Tissue culture and high throughput screening supplies
  • Petri dishes
 Laboratory implements
  • Laboratory forceps
 Autoclave and sterilizer equipment and accessories
  • Sterilizing ovens
  • Steam autoclaves
 Surgical cutting instruments and snares and related products
  • Stainless steel scalpel blades
 Personal communication devices
  • Two way radios
 Computers
  • Notebook computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
 Computer data input devices
  • Dataloggers
 Computer printers
  • Laser printers
 Drafting supplies
  • Compasses
 Cameras
  • 35 millimeter cameras
  • Digital cameras
  • Tree top peeper and video probe systems
 Firearms
  • Dart guns
 Safety apparel
  • Leather gloves
  • Nitrile gloves
 Face and head protection
  • Hard hats
 Vision protection and accessories
  • Safety glasses
 Respiratory protection
  • Dust masks
 Fall protection and rescue equipment
  • Climbing belts
 Hunting products
  • Culvert traps
  • Foot snares
  • Mist nets
 Scuba and snorkeling gear
  • Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus SCUBA equipment
  • Snorkels
 Target games and equipment
  • Archery bows
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Geodetic ground global positioning system GPS receivers
  • Animal transmitters
  • Radio telemetry equipment
 Living organisms and preserved specimens and related materials
  • Dissecting tools
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
  • Corel WordPerfect
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Spreadsheet software
 Data management and query software
  • Data entry softwareHOT
  • Database management software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Relational database software
 Development software
  • PythonHOT
  • RHOT
  • Microsoft Active Server Pages ASPHOT
 Industry specific software
  • Computer modeling software
  • HATPRO
  • SASHOT
  • Statistical software
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • ESRI ArcView
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
 Programs
Eastern Shore Community College
 Programs
Germanna Community College
 Programs
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
 Programs
Northern Virginia Community College
 Programs
Paul D. Camp Community College
 Programs
Tidewater Community College
 Programs
Virginia Highlands Community College
 Programs
Virginia Peninsula Community College
 Programs
Virginia Western Community College
 Programs
Wytheville Community College
 Programs
Jobs
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Jobs related to this career may be found on Indeed.com or on the Google Job Search page.