Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquarium, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo. Providing career advice is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. There are many resources available to aspiring zoologists and herpetologists, but deciding the best path to take can be a confusing process. Today I’d like to provide some guidelines drawn from my experiences and those of my readers and colleagues on how to become a zoologist. And as you’ll see from the face of the little fellow in the photo below, it’s great fun to get started early! Note: Much of the following information is based on my work in zoos and museums, and the journals mentioned are oriented towards herpetology. However, the basic principles apply to any discipline within the field of zoology. I can also help, or refer you to others who can help, with related fields, such as ornithology, arachnology, etc. Please post any questions you might have below. Read the rest of this article here How to become a Zoologist | That Reptile Blog Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog Best Regards, Frank Indiviglio
Hi Frank Indiviglio, I've read many of your posts at TRB! I am currently a high school student who volunteers at a zoo and has my own small reptile collection, and I would definitely like to be either a wildlife biologist or zoologist, with a special interest in herpetology. I'm not sure what college I'll go to, but my grades are very high and right now I'm looking into Cornell University and University of Michigan. Working in the field or at a zoo/institute would be like a dream to me. I do have some questions though. While I know that zoologists study animals, what does that mean exactly? Do you design your own experiments to test hypotheses, and could you provide an example? What do you spend the majority of your time doing? Do you keep your own pet reptiles, and does that interfere with field work? Last year, I got to work at Ohio State University with a professor in the entomology lab. We studied the affects of herbicide on the natural fitness and mortality rate of mosquitoes, and I got to care for them, set up the experiment, and dissect them at OSU. It was an amazing experience; is that similar to what a zoologist does? Thank you very much for your interest! -Nicole
Hi Nicole, Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoy the blog. Doing well in school and volunteering as you describe is a perfect way to begin. "Zoologist" is an extremely broad term, covering all that you have mentioned, the work you have done with the professor, and much more. In zoos, where I did most of my work, we tend to focus on animal care, nutrition, breeding, environmental needs etc., but there is much overlap with field biologists (who can also be called zoologist), who work with animals in their natural habitats. Zoologists in museums (who may be called by other names) may focus more on taxonomy, identifying new species and so on, but the range of subjects is virtually limitless. One way to get an overview of the field might be to look through some general zoology books at your library; perhaps browse college texts as well. I'm a bit out of touch with colleges that excel in the various branches of zoology and biology; Cornell was very well-regarded in my day. Here is a list of colleges offering courses or majors in herpetology. This article by well-known herpetologist Whit Gibbons was just published; it is an introduction, but future updates are planned. The journal itself is brand new, and available free on line; worth looking into (here). I was recently made aware of this FB page - Zoology Career Starters; I've not looked into it, but the page was created by a well-known zoologist-herpetologist. Please keep me posted and let me know if you need anything; very happy to hear of your interest and that you are on the right track. Please also post on my blog articles whenever you wish (I'm able to answer there more quickly), best Frank
