Marine mammal trainer vs pet handler

The differences between marine mammal trainers and pet handlers 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 pet handler. Additionally, a marine mammal trainer has an average salary of $35,589, which is higher than the $31,455 average annual salary of a pet handler.

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

Marine mammal trainer vs pet handler overview

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Pet Handler
Yearly salary	$35,589	$31,455
Hourly rate	$17.11	$15.12
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	31,470	42,867
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Marine mammal trainer vs pet handler salary

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Pet Handler
Average salary	$35,589	$31,455
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $22,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between marine mammal trainer and pet handler education

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Pet Handler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Marine mammal trainer vs pet handler demographics

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

	Marine Mammal Trainer	Pet Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%
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, 4.4% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between marine mammal trainer and pet handler 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.

Pet handler example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Encourage sales of merchandise and products need for their new pet companions.
Track inventory of animals on a daily basis from shipments to sales.
Pet sitting, dog walking, transporting dogs to groomers and back home, cleaning up after the animals, etc.
Encourage sales of the avians that are for sale as well as the neccessary items need for their new avian companion.
Assist in answering customer questions regarding grooming, scheduling grooming appointments and maintaining salon cleanliness and safety.

Marine mammal trainer vs pet handler 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 pet handler skills

PET, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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