Marine mammal trainer vs marine animal trainer

The differences between marine mammal trainers and marine animal 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 marine animal trainer. Additionally, a marine mammal trainer has an average salary of $35,589, which is higher than the $33,750 average annual salary of a marine animal 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 marine animal trainer are husbandry, animal handling, and combat.

Marine mammal trainer vs marine animal trainer overview

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Marine Animal Trainer
Yearly salary	$35,589	$33,750
Hourly rate	$17.11	$16.23
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	31,470	33,630
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Marine mammal trainer vs marine animal trainer salary

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Marine Animal Trainer
Average salary	$35,589	$33,750
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $22,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Amenia, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	San Diego Humane Society
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between marine mammal trainer and marine animal trainer education

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Marine Animal Trainer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	-	-

Marine mammal trainer vs marine animal trainer demographics

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Marine Animal Trainer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3%
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, 4.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between marine mammal trainer and marine animal 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.

Marine animal 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 marine animal 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 marine animal trainer skills

Husbandry, 18%
Animal Handling, 12%
Combat, 8%
Training Methods, 7%
Exotic Animals, 6%
Diet Preparation, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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