Zoologist or Wildlife Biologist
Other Titles
Aquatic Biologist, Conservation Resources Management Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Fisheries Management Biologist, Habitat Biologist, Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Manager, Zoologist
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.
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists are responsible for researching and studying various aspects of the wildlife and other animals. In doing so, they try to discern the behaviors, genetic traits and other characteristics of such animals. In this role, they observe the animals and determine the effects of the environment on their lifestyle. They also observe whether new land developments or environmental changes adversely affect their living. A part of their job is to work with policymakers, government organisations, and other stakeholders. They may propose recommendations on how best to utilise land and undertake new developments without damaging the wildlife environments.
Make recommendations on management systems and planning for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
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.
Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings.
Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.
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.
Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
Active Listening→ Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking→ Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension→ Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Science→ Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Speaking→ Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing→ Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning→ Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving→ Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making→ Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination→ Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Systems Analysis→ Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Time Management→ Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Monitoring→ Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness→ Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Evaluation→ Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Instructing→ Teaching others how to do something.
Management of Personnel Resources→ Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics→ Using mathematics to solve problems.
Negotiation→ Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion→ Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation→ Actively looking for ways to help people.
Getting Information→ Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Interacting With Computers→ Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge→ Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates→ Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Processing Information→ Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Analyzing Data or Information→ Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization→ Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others→ Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events→ Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems→ Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Documenting/Recording Information→ Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings→ Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work→ Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships→ Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Developing Objectives and Strategies→ Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information→ Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
Scheduling Work and Activities→ Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
Thinking Creatively→ Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public→ Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Monitoring and Controlling Resources→ Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others→ Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards→ Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Developing and Building Teams→ Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others→ Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
Performing Administrative Activities→ Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People→ Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment→ Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others→ Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates→ Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
Training and Teaching Others→ Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
Measure environmental characteristics.
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
Assess compliance with environmental laws.
Research environmental impact of industrial or development activities.
Examine characteristics or behavior of living organisms.
Plan biological research.
Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
Care for plants or animals.
Analyze biological samples.
Collect biological specimens.
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Biology→ Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Language→ Knowledge of the structure and content of a language - English, French, Swahili et cetera - including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Law and Government→ Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
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.
Mathematics→ Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics→ Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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.
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.
Analytical or scientific software -- Computer modeling software; Statistical software
Database user interface and query software -- Data entry software; Database management software; Relational database software; Microsoft Access
Electronic mail software -- Email software; Zoho Mail; Microsoft Outlook
Internet browser software -- e.g., Apple Safari; Microsoft Windows Explorer; Google Chrome; Mozilla Firefox
Map creation software -- Geographic information system GIS software; GIS mapping software; ESRI ArcGIS software; ESRI ArcView
Object or component oriented development software -- Python; R
Office suite software -- e.g., Google Workspace; Corel WordPerfect; Microsoft Office
Presentation software -- e.g., Google Slides; Microsoft PowerPoint
Project management software -- e.g., Microsoft Project
Spreadsheet software -- e.g., Google Sheets; IBM Lotus; Microsoft Excel
Web platform development software -- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Word processing software -- e.g., Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Air compressors
Air rifles or air handguns→ Dart guns
All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled→ All terrain vehicles ATV; Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles
Animal control traps→ Animal traps
Archery bows
Axes
Benchtop centrifuges
Binocular light compound microscopes→ Compound binocular light microscopes; Compound microscopes
Binoculars
Boat Trailer→ Boat trailers
Calipers→ Vernier calipers
Calorimeters
Canoes or kayaks→ Canoes
Clinometers
Commercial fishing nets→ Dip net samplers; Gill nets; Jellyfish scoops; Plankton nets (see all 7 examples)
Compasses
Conductivity meters
Counters→ Counting chambers
Desktop computers
Digital camcorders or video cameras→ Tree top peeper and video probe systems
Digital cameras
Dissection kits or supplies→ Dissecting tools
Dissolved oxygen meters
Diving instruments or accessories→ Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus SCUBA equipment
Dropping pipettes
Dry heat or hot air sterilizers→ Sterilizing ovens
Drying cabinets or ovens→ Drying ovens
Egg inspection or collecting equipment→ Egg candlers
Entomological catching equipment→ Aerial nets; Odonata nets; Sweeping nets
Flow sensors→ Flow meters
Flying insect control traps→ Light traps
Forced air or mechanical convection general purpose incubators→ Laboratory mechanical convection incubators
Forestry increment borers→ Tree corers
Fume hoods or cupboards→ Fume hoods
Global positioning system GPS receiver→ Geodetic ground global positioning system GPS receivers
Handheld refractometers or polarimeters→ Portable refractometers
Handheld thermometer→ Water thermometers
Hard hats
Laboratory balances→ Monopan balances
Laboratory beakers
Laboratory forceps
Laboratory funnels
Laboratory graduated cylinders→ Graduated glass laboratory cylinders
Ladders→ Extension ladders
Laser printers
Magnifiers→ Hand lenses
Masks or accessories→ Dust masks
Masks or fins or snorkels→ Snorkels
Micrometers
Notebook computers
Personal computers
Personal motorized watercraft→ Jet skis
Petri plates or dishes→ Petri dishes
pH meters
Photo attachments for microscopes→ Photomicroscopes
Pisciculture supplies→ Fish traps
Portable data input terminals→ Dataloggers
Protective gloves→ Leather gloves; Nitrile gloves
Pull spring balances→ Spring scales
Radio frequency transmitters or receivers→ Animal transmitters; Radio telemetry equipment
Rafts→ Rubber rafts
Rangefinders→ Laser hypsometers
Recreational motorboats→ Small power boats
Rulers
Safety glasses
Safety harnesses or belts→ Climbing belts
Salinity meter→ Salinity meters
Sample changers→ Folsom plankton splitters
Single gas monitors→ Carbon dioxide CO2 monitors
Sledge hammer→ Sledgehammers
Snowmobiles or snow scooter→ Snowmobiles
Specimen collection container→ Scintillation vials; Specimen collection containers; Water sample collection containers
Spectrometers
Sporting traps→ Culvert traps; Foot snares; Mist nets
Steam autoclaves or sterilizers→ Steam autoclaves
Stereo or dissecting light microscopes→ Dissecting microscopes
Still cameras→ 35 millimeter cameras
Surface thermometers→ Field thermometers
Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines or accessories→ Stainless steel scalpel blades
Tape measures→ Metric measuring tapes
Telescopes→ Spotting scopes
Test sieves→ Mesh sieves; Sieve buckets
Two way radios
Ultra cold or ultralow upright cabinets or freezers→ Laboratory freezers
Volumeters
Water pumps
Water samplers→ Benthic samplers; Ekman dredges; Multiplate samplers; Secchi disks
Investigative→ Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic→ Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Cooperation→ Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Integrity→ Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail→ Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Initiative→ Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Analytical Thinking→ Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Dependability→ Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence→ Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Persistence→ Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Achievement/Effort→ Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility→ Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Leadership→ Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Self Control→ Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance→ Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Concern for Others→ Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Innovation→ Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Achievement→ Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition→ Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions→ Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.