Job Duties of a Zoologist

Zoology is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, habitats, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct and therefore it is also known as animal biology.

However, there are various sub-branches within this field, including ethology, zoography, and anthrozoology. Furthermore, zoologists often major in the study of particular types of animals such as ornithologists studies birds, whereas mammalogist studies mammals.

Many career options are open for students in Zoology due to the need for Preservation and Management of wildlife in the world. Sometimes, a career in Zoology requires traveling too. A number of prestigious news channels like National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet offer jobs to zoologists.

Job Duties of a Zoologist

Observe animal behavior: 

The study of animal behavior is a cornerstone of experimental psychology, shedding light on how animals interact with each other and with their environments, and why they behave the way they do. A classic day for zoologists includes checking in with all the animals under his care and ensuring that they have an ample amount of food and water. They also spend their time observing the animals in their natural habitats and making notes on mating patterns, aggressions, eating and sleeping habits, and group behaviors.

Study species origin and development: 

The zoologists work in all areas of animal life i.e., studying processes from the most simple to the highly complex. They may study the life functions of a single animal like an ant, or focus on the complex inter-reactive behavior of an entire hive.

Learn how the animal disease develops: 

Several zoologists with master's degrees are hired by museums, zoos, or research laboratories. The zoologists who work in the zoos engage in scientific studies of animal diseases and animal behavior.

Study animal genetics and traits: 

As the zoologists often perform experiments with animals, they keep laboratory animals. These zoologists may breed the animals to raise their offspring. They observe them and do research on their growth, movement, reproduction, circulation, respiration, and other functions.

Conduct research studies and analyze findings: 

The zoologist also spends their days doing research on animals, which includes dissecting and examining different animal specimens as well as preparing slides to examine the various specimens for diseased tissue. 

Some zoologists are highly passionate about their work with animals and end up serving as advocates. These zoologists mainly study animal health and animal rights instead of experimenting with them and they question the scientists who do harmful testing on animals for different works. They continuously argue against inhumane treatment such as illegal hunting and poaching. 

Education Requirement

• Undergraduate study: somebody who is interested to pursue zoology for their bachelor's can major in biology during their undergraduate degree. It typically takes up to 4 years to complete.

• Bachelor's degree: A bachelor’s in Zoology typically requires 4 years to be completed. Students choose to specialize in a sub-specialization in the last 2 years.

• Master of Science in zoology: Typically takes 1 to 2 years to be completed.

• Ph.D. in zoology: Those that want to pursue a career in research or academia may choose to do a Ph.D. in zoology. It can take anywhere from 3-8 years to complete depending on the subject they choose to research on.

Conclusion

Above all else, make sure you have a passion for whatever you are doing. This article is mostly talking about animal-related jobs because this is what a zoology graduate is passionate about. Other than these job duties, there are many jobs that you can get with a zoology degree without working with animals.