Can you be a zoologist that specializes in marine animals

Question

I know you will all say oh no thats a marine biologist but its not they study plankton and pollution wereas zoologists study the actual animals e.g whales dolphins,sharks which is what im intrested in can a marine biologist/zoologist please answer me thankyou.

Answer 1

http://www.marinemammalogy.org/strat.htm...

What education is necessary to become a marine mammal scientist?

High School Studies:

A broad education is essential for finding employment in marine mammal science. High school courses such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, and language will provide a good educational base. Consult a guidance counselor for help in selecting course work. Good grades are essential for admission to a university.

Undergraduate Studies:

Most entry-level marine mammal jobs require a B.S. degree, with a major in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, or psychology. A minor in any science, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or engineering also can be helpful. Good language and technical writing skills are essential. Many people are surprised by the amount of writing involved in marine mammal professions. Because marine mammals are found worldwide, foreign language training often is useful.

A student must first become a scientist before specializing in marine mammals. Generally, undergraduate students will concentrate on a basic science curriculum and rarely have an opportunity to take courses related to marine mammal science. Specialization in marine mammals generally comes later through practical work experience or while working toward an advanced degree. In other words, if your B.S. degree program does not include courses in marine sciences, do not become discouraged. Concentrate on finding practical experience and/or a master's degree with emphasis in marine mammal science. Maintaining a high grade point average as an undergraduate is very important to gain admission to graduate school.

Graduate Studies:

The master's degree is usually the first opportunity college students have to specialize in marine mammal science. Care should be taken to select an advisor with experience in the subject and a reputable university with a diverse curriculum that will enable s focus on marine mammal science.

Students who have dual majors or interdisciplinary training sometimes have more employment opportunities. Because the field of marine mammal science is so diverse, students who train in specialized areas have practical tools that may help them gain employment. For example, a graduate degree in statistics can be very useful for entering the field of population assessment. A degree in electrical engineering can be particularly useful for bioacoustic research. A graduate degree in environmental law can be important for developing a career in government policy-making or conservation.

http://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/...

CONCLUSIONS

As can be seen in the above descriptions, career opportunities for mammalogists are many and diverse. However, students considering careers in mammalogy should be realistic in their expectations. Presently, there are more mammalogists seeking employment than there are positions and this situation is likely to prevail into the foreseeable future. Competition for these positions is,and will continue to be intense, and it behooves the prospective mammalogist to acquire the best possible training, in order to be as competitive as possible for the available openings. In this regard,summer employment or volunteer work in the chosen career area can often be extremely valuable.

In general, a broad undergraduate background is desirable for positions in mammalogy. Training should include:

1) fundamental in biology - cell biology, development, genetics, evolution, and ecology;

2) zoology - introductory zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, ethology, and taxonomy;

3) botany - introductory botany and taxonomy of flowering plants;

4) chemistry - inorganic, organic, and biochemistry;

5) mathematics - at least through calculus;

6) physics - a basic course;

7) paleontology - a basic course;

8) statistics;

9) computer science;

and of course 10) mammalogy, if available at the undergraduate institution.

Other coursework will depend on the specific field of mammalogy. For many careers, graduate degrees and even postdoctoral experience are required, and it is here that the mammalogist receives specialized training.

http://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?id=...

What About Working with Marine Mammals?

If you are interested in dolphins or other marine mammals, you will find that there is really no school that specializes in marine mammal research and few even have departments of mammalogy, but research programs do exist at several universities. For example, UC Santa Cruz (mostly work on pinnipeds) and the University of Hawaii have such programs. Like the study of fishes, marine mammalogy in itself has many disciplines: natural history (the study of how a species lives), taxonomy and systematics (study of their classification and evolution), anatomy and physiology, ethology (behavior), and ecology (how they interact with their environment). Some universities, like Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego, may not have specific programs on marine mammals but have graduate students doing marine mammal-related research. For example, Scripps graduate students are currently conducting research at the Center on the dynamics and genetics of marine mammal populations.

http://www.imata.org/index.php?option=co...

http://www.mcbi.org/audiences/forstudent...

http://www.marinemammalogy.org/student/l...

http://www.tmmc.org/learning/education/c...

http://marinebio.org/MarineBio/Careers/i...

http://www.oceancareers.com/2.0/career_d...

http://www.oceancareers.com/2.0/display_...

Answer 2

It's called marine mammalogy :)

Goodluck :)

Answer 3

Marine biology covers all aspects of marine life. I am a marine biology student and am going to be studying reef sharks and other reef creatures.   and by the way, if you study whales,dolphins, sharks, you will be studying plankton and pollution as well. because those things affect the creature you are studying greatly. so yes you can become a marine specialist(marine biologist), all you need to do is go to school and study it. most animal science courses will allow you to work with whatever critters you please, even courses in animal behavior and psychology would be good.

Answer 4

Yes, you can be a zoologist who specializes in marine animals.  What most people don't understand is that it matters very little what the specific degree is on your diploma.  It could be Ecology, Marine Biology, Biology, Zoology, Life Science, Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Biology, Wildlife Biology, etc. and you could all be studying the same thing.  

I have a PhD in Marine Biology, but I'm really an Evolutionary Ecologist who happens to work in marine systems, and my official title is a Conservation Biologist.  None of those titles changes the type of research I do.

Having a solid foundation in Biology is the best training you can have for any future studies/work in the life science fields.  If you want to study marine animals, you'll have to go to graduate school and that is where you'll start to specialize.

Answer 5

I have done so much information in this field, because I am also interested in the same thing. As you said, a marine biologist does study like the plankton and the population in the ocean. If you are wanting to work with whales and dolphins and things like that, if I was you I would be either a zoologist or a zoo animal trainer. If I was you I would be a zoo animal trainer though.