What Does A Herpetologist Do?

A herpetologist studies and works with reptiles and amphibians.

No he doesn't collect herbs! A herpetologist is someone who studies and works with reptiles and amphibians. Actually, a herpetologist is someone who trains in a sub-area of biology and jobs generally fall into one of four areas: college and university employment, government work, medical related work, and zoological park or museum staff. More recently, industrial and medical biotechnology have emerged as areas with new and exciting opportunities for biological research. What all of these jobs have in common is training in a biological field. The herpetological emphasis is put there by the worker! For example, a person might be trained in ecology and do environmental impact studies for the government. If that person is also a herpetologist, reptiles and amphibians might be the animals studied to evaluate changes in the environment. A medical research with training in hematology might, if interested in herpetology, study blood of reptiles and amphibians. It is rare to find a job that considers someone to be a herpetologist first!