Ecologist vs wildlife health specialist

The differences between ecologists and wildlife health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an ecologist and a wildlife health specialist. Additionally, an ecologist has an average salary of $50,369, which is higher than the $44,267 average annual salary of a wildlife health specialist.

The top three skills for an ecologist include data collection, GPS and GIS. The most important skills for a wildlife health specialist are ladders, GPS, and wild animals.

Ecologist vs wildlife health specialist overview

	Ecologist	Wildlife Health Specialist
Yearly salary	$50,369	$44,267
Hourly rate	$24.22	$21.28
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	7,026	52,222
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Ecologist vs wildlife health specialist salary

Ecologists and wildlife health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ecologist	Wildlife Health Specialist
Average salary	$50,369	$44,267
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $76,000	Between $30,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	Escondido, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Volkert	Rollins
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between ecologist and wildlife health specialist education

There are a few differences between an ecologist and a wildlife health specialist in terms of educational background:

	Ecologist	Wildlife Health Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of California - Davis	University of California - Davis

Ecologist vs wildlife health specialist demographics

Here are the differences between ecologists' and wildlife health specialists' demographics:

	Ecologist	Wildlife Health Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5%	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between ecologist and wildlife health specialist duties and responsibilities

Ecologist example responsibilities.

Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Perform surveys for target species including vascular and non-vascular plants, fungi, and lichens using BLM and USFS protocols.
Issue gas and oil drilling permits on BLM land.
Record and monitor nest locations using a marker system and GPS.
Navigate through surrounding desert and massive mountain ranges using GPS and aerial topographic maps.
Help with park events and or activities, occasionally put on patrol for the park

Wildlife health specialist example responsibilities.

Utilize ArcGIS to create navigational maps, as well as uploading, managing and analyzing data for habitat suitability.
Volunteer weekly and gain experience that aid in obtaining a state license in wildlife rehabilitation.
Prepare the database and used ArcView GIS to prepare maps.
Utilize GPS receivers to map plot locations for wildlife census work.
Test water pH and conductivity, conduct water sampling with the EPA.
Trap types consist of havahearts, foot holds, snares and body catches.

Ecologist vs wildlife health specialist skills

Common ecologist skills

Data Collection, 10%
GPS, 10%
GIS, 6%
Technical Reports, 6%
Data Management, 5%
Data Entry, 5%

Common wildlife health specialist skills

Ladders, 27%
GPS, 12%
Wild Animals, 10%
GIS, 10%
Natural Resources, 8%
Management Practices, 6%

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Ecologist
Ecologist vs Wildlife Health Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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