Wildlife technician vs biology laboratory technician

The differences between wildlife technicians and biology laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a wildlife technician and a biology laboratory technician. Additionally, a biology laboratory technician has an average salary of $38,514, which is higher than the $33,462 average annual salary of a wildlife technician.

The top three skills for a wildlife technician include GPS, hand tools and harvest. The most important skills for a biology laboratory technician are lab equipment, molecular biology, and chemistry.

Wildlife technician vs biology laboratory technician overview

	Wildlife Technician	Biology Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$33,462	$38,514
Hourly rate	$16.09	$18.52
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	9,809	45,470
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a wildlife technician do?

A wildlife technician is responsible for supporting wildlife biologists and management personnel on conducting research projects for habitat preservation and environmental welfare. Wildlife technicians create data reports, assist in laboratory examinations, collect biological samples, and maintaining the safety and security of the premises by observing surveillance equipment and adhering to safety policies and protocols. They also operate and inspect the efficiency of tools and equipment, provide routine maintenance, and request immediate repairs as necessary. A wildlife technician helps in planning wildlife programs and managing information dissemination to the public.

What does a biology laboratory technician do?

A biological technician assists medical and biological scientists in conducting laboratory experiments and tests. As a biological technician, you will perform a variety of tasks that include setting up, maintaining, and cleaning laboratory equipment and instruments such as test tubes and microscopes, collecting and preparing biological samples, and analyzing experimental data, and interpreting results. In addition, you will assist medical scientists by administering new treatments and medicines to laboratory animals. You will also perform different techniques such as specimen staining to aid identification.

Wildlife technician vs biology laboratory technician salary

Wildlife technicians and biology laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildlife Technician	Biology Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$33,462	$38,514
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $44,000	Between $29,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	California
Best paying company	Boulder County	University of California
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between wildlife technician and biology laboratory technician education

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

	Wildlife Technician	Biology Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Cornell University

Wildlife technician vs biology laboratory technician demographics

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

	Wildlife Technician	Biology Laboratory Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between wildlife technician and biology laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Wildlife technician example responsibilities.

Lead fish exclusion and relocation efforts, using backpack electro fishing gear.
Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
Perform automated DNA and RNA extraction of clinical specimens.
Collect and process biological samples for epidemiology PCR and RT-PCR studies.
Work with other volunteers and sometimes independently to search for, identify and record GPS coordinates of invasive plant species.
Extract nematode specimens from soil samples, remount old nematode slides, and enter vital information into USDA nematode collection database.

Biology laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare media and reagents necessary for microbiological and electrophoresis analysis.
Carry out highly complex pharmaceutical and biotechnology studies while maintaining strong relationships with clients and upholding federal regulations for FDA approval.
Design and implement vegetation survey using GPS and GIS; collect and analyze data for reports.
Record the amount of plant cover, GPS coordinates and environmental conditions in a journal for different sampling plots.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.

Wildlife technician vs biology laboratory technician skills

Common wildlife technician skills

GPS, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Harvest, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Wildlife Habitat, 6%
GRASS, 5%

Common biology laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Molecular Biology, 6%
Chemistry, 5%
Laboratory Procedures, 4%
Biology Lab, 4%
Cell Culture, 4%

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Wildlife Technician
Wildlife Technician vs Biology Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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