Marine biologist vs wildlife biology technician

The differences between marine biologists and wildlife biology technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a marine biologist and a wildlife biology technician. Additionally, a marine biologist has an average salary of $54,008, which is higher than the $34,231 average annual salary of a wildlife biology technician.

The top three skills for a marine biologist include ecology, data analysis and water quality. The most important skills for a wildlife biology technician are GPS, wildlife habitat, and GIS.

Marine biologist vs wildlife biology technician overview

	Marine Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Yearly salary	$54,008	$34,231
Hourly rate	$25.97	$16.46
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	17,273	6,726
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Marine biologist vs wildlife biology technician salary

Marine biologists and wildlife biology technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Marine Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Average salary	$54,008	$34,231
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $84,000	Between $25,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between marine biologist and wildlife biology technician education

There are a few differences between a marine biologist and a wildlife biology technician in terms of educational background:

	Marine Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Ecology, Population Biology, And Epidemiology	Biology
Most common college	University of California - Davis	University of Florida

Marine biologist vs wildlife biology technician demographics

Here are the differences between marine biologists' and wildlife biology technicians' demographics:

	Marine Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%	Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 10.3% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 10.3% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between marine biologist and wildlife biology technician duties and responsibilities

Marine biologist example responsibilities.

Manage detailed GLP laboratory manual daily.
Navigate projects with GPS; create and interpret geospatial data (GIS).
Gain an in-depth working knowledge of GIS.
Enter data into NOAA databases and extrapolate data into graphs and charts.
Utilize hand-held GPS units during fieldwork to collect and organize spatial data.
Serve as program lead in writing and renewing permits involving ESA list species.

Wildlife biology technician example responsibilities.

Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
Survey historic sites for NSO, great gray owl, and northern goshawk according to establish protocols.
Guide crews to remote settings using only map, compass, and GPS to set up NSO call stations.
Measure small land areas for surveying elk and deer populations.
Map vegetation and plant community types on aerial photographs and GIS.
Employ GIS to document the results of monitoring efforts and to make management recommendations.

Marine biologist vs wildlife biology technician skills

Common marine biologist skills

Ecology, 28%
Data Analysis, 14%
Water Quality, 5%
GPS, 5%
NOAA, 5%
Husbandry, 4%

Common wildlife biology technician skills

GPS, 29%
Wildlife Habitat, 21%
GIS, 13%
OWL, 10%
Data Collection, 8%
ATV, 7%

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Marine Biologist
Marine Biologist vs Wildlife Biology Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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