Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. · 2.5%
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Occupation · SOC 19-1023.00
Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.
Also called: Conservation Biologist · Fish and Wildlife Biologist · Fisheries Biologist · Wildlife Biologist · Aquatic Biologist · Fisheries and Wildlife Biological Scientist · Forest Wildlife Biologist · Habitat Biologist · Wildlife Refuge Specialist · Zoologist · Animal Behaviorist · Animal Biologist
Job family: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-19-1023-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. · 0.5%
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. · 97.9% need a human
- Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. · 92.4% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+1.6% by 2034)
- 1,400 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $72,860/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (39th), high AI task-overlap now (64th)
64th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,400 openings a year (+1.6% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 5570% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 57th | 0.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 66th | 0.8 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 72nd | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.3 · 39th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. | 3.2% | |
| Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs. | 0.5% | |
| Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife. | 0.3% | |
| Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 18,200 → 18,500 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists sits at the 77th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
40% mean task exposure (2025)
77th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+5 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Biologists, Botanists, Zoologists and Related Professionals · 2131 | 40% | Gradient 2 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 55.7% working with AI · 41.6% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. | Directive | 2.5% |
| Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. | Learning | 0.5% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. | 97.9% | |
| Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. | 92.4% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.From: Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. · 2.5% of measured AI use · directive
-
Help me study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.From: Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. · 0.5% of measured AI use · learning
Tasks
All 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations. Core · importance 4.1
- Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife. Core · importance 3.8
- Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry. Core · importance 3.6
- Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs. Core · importance 3.6
- Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. Core · importance 3.6
- Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified. Core · importance 3.5
- Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope. Supplemental · importance 2.6
- Make recommendations on management systems and planning for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options. Core
- Raise specimens for study and observation or for use in experiments. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Use advanced technologies, such as GIS, remote sensing, and drone technology, for wildlife tracking, habitat mapping, and population studies.
Work activities
- Research environmental impact of industrial or development activities.
- Measure environmental characteristics.
- Examine characteristics or behavior of living organisms.
- Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
- Research genetic characteristics or expression.
- Research diseases or parasites.
- Implement advertising or marketing initiatives.
- Supervise employees.
- Direct fundraising or financing activities.
- Manage organizational or project budgets.
- Plan biological research.
- Coordinate safety or regulatory compliance activities.
- Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
- Analyze biological samples.
- Collect biological specimens.
- Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
- Assess compliance with environmental laws.
- Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
- Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Biology | 4.8 | |
| English Language | 3.8 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.7 | |
| Mathematics | 3.4 | |
| Geography | 3.4 | |
| Law and Government | 3.3 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.3 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.9 | |
| Science | 3.9 | |
| Active Learning | 3.6 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.8 | |
| Time Management | 3.4 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 | |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.8 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.6 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.4 | |
| Originality | 3.3 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.3 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 41.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Biological and Biomedical Sciences , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies , Natural Resources and Conservation . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 57.2% | |
| Master's Degree | 40.0% | |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 2.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 7.0 | |
| Realistic | 5.4 | |
| Conventional | 3.7 |
Interest areas
| Life Science | 6.8 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 6.5 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 4.0 | |
| Animal Service | 3.5 | |
| Public Speaking | 3.2 | |
| Agriculture | 3.2 | |
| Medical Science | 2.9 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.7 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 5.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 4.0 | |
| Integrity | 3.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 2.6 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $48,240 |
| 25th percentile | $58,360 |
| Median (50th) | $72,860 |
| 75th percentile | $90,590 |
| 90th percentile | $113,350 |
| People employed | 16,920 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2,550 | $74,270 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 1,250 | $58,720 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 610 | $67,040 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 460 | $48,310 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 320 | $86,270 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | — | $66,680 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 2.57× | 1,250 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 2.52× | 320 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2.16× | 2,550 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 1.59× | 460 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.41× | 610 |
Related occupations
Part of the Energy & Natural Resources career cluster.
- Biologists · 19-1029.04 Compare →
- Conservation Scientists · 19-1031.00 Compare →
- Range Managers · 19-1031.02 Compare →
- Environmental Restoration Planners · 19-2041.02 Compare →
- Fish and Game Wardens · 33-3031.00 Compare →
- Soil and Plant Scientists · 19-1013.00 Compare →
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health · 19-2041.00 Compare →
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · 19-2042.00 Compare →
- Animal Scientists · 19-1011.00 Compare →
- Foresters · 19-1032.00 Compare →
- Biological Technicians · 19-4021.00 Compare →
- Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1043.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences · field of study
- Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 77th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists show 64th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,400 annual U.S. openings
- Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists rank in the 64th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 1,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $72,860, across about 16,920 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 56% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists show 64th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,400 annual U.S. openings • Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists rank in the 64th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 1,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $72,860, across about 16,920 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 56% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-1023-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-1023-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-1023-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-19-1023-00,
title = {Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-1023-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.