Also called: Wildlife Artist (taxidermy)
Preserves and mounts animals for hunters, museums, and nature centers.
They skin the animal, prepare the hide, and sculpt a lifelike form underneath, then add glass eyes and paint details. Museum taxidermists build natural history dioramas. Hunting season brings a rush of work.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Taxidermy schools or apprenticeship; state and federal permits for wildlife.
Ways in: Trade school, Apprenticeship, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Taxidermy (trade school), Biology.
Growing slowly. Steady niche tied to hunting.
Low risk for 10 years. Hands-on skinning, sculpting and mounting each animal can't be automated.
Classes: Biology, Art 3-D Design, Agriculture or FFA.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.