Careers in Science
Wildlife Biologist
Branch of Science
To the right: A Wildlife Biologist holds a small bear cub, after examining it out in the wilderness.
Education Path
The minimum degree you need to become a Wildlife Biologist, is the Bachelor's Degree. If you would want to have a more interesting and hands on wildlife career, a higher degree would be needed.
The major I selected is Zoology and Animal Biology. Courses teach about animals and what systems are used to keep them alive. The students learn about animals' anatomy and behavior, as well as their cell and molecular structures. Many students study exotic and strange animals, but some study familiar domestic creatures. To understand animals, first students need to learn about the inner workings of cells and genetics. Students also study the food chain and its effect on the environment, & the common principles of the body and how it is shaped to the animal's needs.
Anatomy & Physiology, Biotechnology, Calculus, Chemistry, Statistics & Probability, Advanced Biology, and many more courses, are great to take in High School for preparation for this job. In college, important classes are: Cellular & Molecular Biology, Ecology, General Biology, Evolution, Genetics, Animal Physiology, Mammalogy, etc.
The interesting thing is, there are no specific courses that are required or recommended; a student can choose his/her courses depending on which field or specialization that interests them personally. (The courses they take reflect on what the student specializes in).
Training School & College - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Academics
About the Job
Wildlife Biologists work and do research in any type of weather. In addition, they usually walk long distances to conduct their research, and requires large amounts of physical activity.
People with this job work "in the field", which means they do research in an animal's natural habitat, rather than a laboratory. Although Wildlife Biologists are most likely to be employed by the state or national government, they can do their research all around the world.
Factors that Affect Employment
To the left: This team of Wildlife Biologists work to examine and observe a wild polar bear, near the North Pole.
Salary
- Wisconsin Salary Range: $38,550 - $94,610
- National Salary Range: $35,660 - $93,450
The Wisconsin and National salary ranges don't differ very much. But the value varies for both, depending on the conditions and specialty you choose.
Employer - Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve Inc.
Summary
A great thing about this job is that Wildlife Biologists love working to conserve threatened animals and researching them. Most, if not all of them, enjoy their job and love working with animals. The only down side is that despite having a great job, it usually requires workers to travel often, sometimes to remote places, depending on the specialty.
Above: Wildlife Biologists working together to learn more about a wild cougar, somewhere in the world.
Sources
Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (Ed.). (n.d.). Wildlife biologists. Retrieved September 10, 2013, from WISCareers website: http://wiscareers.wisc.edu/C_CVstuff/occinfo.asp?Area=gen&Num=00737
Roese, J. H. (n.d.). [Wildlife biologists measuring a polar bear]. Retrieved from http://www.biologyreference.com/Ve-Z/Wildlife-Biologist.html#b
[Wildlife biologist jeff sikich examining a cougar]. (2012, October 28). Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/28/local/la-me-mountain-lions-20121029
Wildlife biologist with black bear cub [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/bibe/parkmgmt/research_permits.htm
(I apologize that they are not in the right form, the way the sources should look like, but it is hard to do that on the iPad.)