RESEARCH STARTER

Wildlife biology

Wildlife biology is a specialized branch of biological sciences dedicated to the study of nondomesticated animals and their interactions with both living and nonliving elements in their environments. This field encompasses all wild animals, though it may often focus on specific groups, such as birds and mammals, while recognizing the importance of other species. A significant area within wildlife biology is conservation biology, which addresses the plight of endangered or threatened species, particularly in relation to human-induced environmental changes.

The study of wildlife biology examines animals throughout their life cycles, exploring their survival strategies, reproductive behaviors, and ecological needs. Researchers analyze the habitats of wild animals, considering essential factors such as food, water, and breeding sites. The ultimate aim of wildlife biology is to attain a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting wild animal populations. This knowledge is crucial for wildlife management, which involves human efforts to sustain animal populations within their ecological limits, ensuring a balanced coexistence between wildlife and their environments.

Full Article

Wildlife biologists study the life cycles, behaviors, requirements, ecology, and populations of wild animals.

Definition

Wildlife biology is a subcategory of the biological sciences concerned with nondomesticated animals and their interactions with living and nonliving components of their environments.

Overview

While “wildlife” includes all animals that have not been domesticated by humans, it is sometimes restricted to birds and mammals, excluding other vertebrate and nonvertebrate species. As a practical matter, wildlife biologists may focus on one species or groups of species, but all wild animals should be included within the sphere of wildlife biology. Conservation biology, comprising both plants and animals, can be considered, with regard to the latter, a subdivision of wildlife biology concerned with nondomesticated animals that have become endangered or threatened by environmental changes, particularly those associated with human activities.

Wildlife biology involves the study of wild animals from conception to death, including their strategies and behaviors for dealing with survival and reproduction. It is also concerned with their nutritional and environmental requirements and their ecological niches. It focuses on their natural home or habitat, including cover, food, water, and breeding sites. The end goal of wildlife biology is the integrative understanding of the factors that influence populations of wild animals. The ultimate application of the field is wildlife management, in which humans intervene to maintain appropriate populations (populations that do not exceed the area’s carrying capacity) of wild animals in a particular area.


"Careers in Wildlife Biology." Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/biological-physical-resources/wildlifebio. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

"Introduction to Wildlife Biology." LibreTexts, 10 Aug. 2023, bio.libretexts.org/Sandboxes/Team%3A_Ecology_Wildlife_and_Conservation_(EVC)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Ecology_the_Environment_and_Wildlife. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Velhagen-Dizon, Jaylynn C. "What Can I Do With a Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology Degree?" UC Davis, www.ucdavis.edu/majors/blog/wildlife-fish-conservation-biology-degree. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025. 

"Wildlife Biology." DOI, careers.doi.gov/occupational-series/wildlife-biology. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Full Article

Wildlife biologists study the life cycles, behaviors, requirements, ecology, and populations of wild animals.

Definition

Wildlife biology is a subcategory of the biological sciences concerned with nondomesticated animals and their interactions with living and nonliving components of their environments.

Overview

While “wildlife” includes all animals that have not been domesticated by humans, it is sometimes restricted to birds and mammals, excluding other vertebrate and nonvertebrate species. As a practical matter, wildlife biologists may focus on one species or groups of species, but all wild animals should be included within the sphere of wildlife biology. Conservation biology, comprising both plants and animals, can be considered, with regard to the latter, a subdivision of wildlife biology concerned with nondomesticated animals that have become endangered or threatened by environmental changes, particularly those associated with human activities.

Wildlife biology involves the study of wild animals from conception to death, including their strategies and behaviors for dealing with survival and reproduction. It is also concerned with their nutritional and environmental requirements and their ecological niches. It focuses on their natural home or habitat, including cover, food, water, and breeding sites. The end goal of wildlife biology is the integrative understanding of the factors that influence populations of wild animals. The ultimate application of the field is wildlife management, in which humans intervene to maintain appropriate populations (populations that do not exceed the area’s carrying capacity) of wild animals in a particular area.


"Careers in Wildlife Biology." Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/biological-physical-resources/wildlifebio. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

"Introduction to Wildlife Biology." LibreTexts, 10 Aug. 2023, bio.libretexts.org/Sandboxes/Team%3A_Ecology_Wildlife_and_Conservation_(EVC)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Ecology_the_Environment_and_Wildlife. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Velhagen-Dizon, Jaylynn C. "What Can I Do With a Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology Degree?" UC Davis, www.ucdavis.edu/majors/blog/wildlife-fish-conservation-biology-degree. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025. 

"Wildlife Biology." DOI, careers.doi.gov/occupational-series/wildlife-biology. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.