Marine mammal trainer vs lion trainer

The differences between marine mammal trainers and lion trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a marine mammal trainer and a lion trainer. Additionally, a lion trainer has an average salary of $38,163, which is higher than the $35,589 average annual salary of a marine mammal trainer.

The top three skills for a marine mammal trainer include medical procedures, training sessions and water quality tests. The most important skills for a lion trainer are safety procedures, training sessions, and .

Marine mammal trainer vs lion trainer overview

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Lion Trainer
Yearly salary	$35,589	$38,163
Hourly rate	$17.11	$18.35
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	31,470	20,859
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Marine mammal trainer vs lion trainer salary

Marine mammal trainers and lion trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Lion Trainer
Average salary	$35,589	$38,163
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $20,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between marine mammal trainer and lion trainer education

There are a few differences between a marine mammal trainer and a lion trainer in terms of educational background:

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Lion Trainer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Marine mammal trainer vs lion trainer demographics

Here are the differences between marine mammal trainers' and lion trainers' demographics:

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Lion Trainer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between marine mammal trainer and lion trainer duties and responsibilities

Marine mammal trainer example responsibilities.

Manage complicated water filtration systems, and implement nutrition plans for a variety of snake species.
Acquire knowledge in animal husbandry, natural history, and animal conditioning principles through reading materials and participating in training sessions.
Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

Lion trainer example responsibilities.

Acquire knowledge in animal husbandry, natural history, and animal conditioning principles through reading materials and participating in training sessions.
Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

Marine mammal trainer vs lion trainer skills

Common marine mammal trainer skills

Medical Procedures, 19%
Training Sessions, 11%
Water Quality Tests, 7%
Scuba Diving, 6%
Public Presentations, 5%
Public Speaking, 5%

Common lion trainer skills

Safety Procedures, 55%
Training Sessions, 45%

Marine Mammal Trainer vs. similar jobs

Marine Mammal Trainer related careers

Marine Mammal Trainer related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs