Interested in a Career with Marine Mammals?

Start your journey here!

This class is recommended to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in the marine mammal field and would like to understand how to get started and what options exist. The class's instructor, Dr. Jenifer Zeligs, has over 40 years of experience working with a variety of marine mammal taxa across diverse disciplines including laboratory and field research, public display, cutting edge veterinary care and training. This course has helped to prepared hundreds of students for fulfilling careers working with marine mammals and it's now available from the comfort of your own home, for a full year's access. The course draws heavily on the rich background of marine mammal work in the Monterey Bay area of California, but includes worldwide examples.

  • Fully On Demand Pre-recorded Lectures

    The course will provide practical information about marine mammal taxa, physiology, legal policy in the U.S., husbandry and veterinary medicine, research techniques, science education, animal training and careers in these areas.

  • Includes a "virtual internship day" experience at the Moss Landing Marine Lab long term care facility.

  • Course Certification:

    Course Certificate available upon successful completion of the optional final exam. Fees for the certification are $50 https://animaltraining.thinkific.com/bundles/wwmm-with-cert if purchased as a bundle with the class: or $60 if purchased separately: https://animaltraining.thinkific.com/courses/wwmmcert

Working With Marine Mammals Curriculum

  1. 1

    • How to use the thinkific platform

    • Syllabus

    • Getting to know Dr. Zeligs
  2. 2

    • Intro to Working With Marine Mammals video

    • Introduction Lecture Slides

    • Readings for Intro to WWMM
  3. 3

    • General Marine Mammal Biology Video Part A

    • General Marine Mammal Biology Video Part B

    • General Marine Mammal Biology Video Part C

    • Marine Mammal Biology Lecture slides
  4. 4

    • Marine Mammal Science Video Part A

    • Marine Mammal Science Video Part B

    • Marine Mammal Science Video Part C

    • Marine Mammal Science Video Part D

    • Marine Mammal Science lecture slides

    • Readings - Abstract Examples for WWMM

    • Readings - Choosing your Major Advisor

    • Readings - Evolution is a Fact and a Theory
  5. 5

    • Field and Lab Research Video Part A

    • Field and Lab Research Video Part B

    • Field and Lab Research Video Part C

    • Field and Lab Research lecture slides

    • Radio Tracking Demonstration

    • Readings - Costa (1993) Secret Life of Marine Mammals

    • Readings - Elsner and Wickham_Implications from Physiological Studies of Marine Mammals

    • Readings - Block et al (2012) Animal Telemetry Compilation

    • Readings - Franklin (2020) Humpback Photo ID

    • Readings - Kowarski KA, Moors-Murphy H. (2020)
  6. 6

    • Physiology Video Part A

    • Physiology Video Part B

    • Marine Mammal Physiology lecture slides
  7. 7

    • Veterinary Care Video Part A

    • Veterinary Care Video Part B

    • Veterinary Care lecture slides

    • Readings - Blood Chemistries

    • Readings - The fight to save Cape Cod’s dolphins
  8. 8

    • Marine Mammal Husbandry Video Part A

    • Marine Mammal Husbandry Video Part B

    • Marine Mammal Husbandry Lecture slides

    • Readings - APHIS regulations

    • Virtual Internship Experience -Part A

    • Virtual Internship Experience - Part B
  9. 9

    • Education and Conservation Video Part A

    • Education and Conservation Video Part B

    • Education and Conservation lecture slides

    • Readings - Watson (1995). The Cult of Animal Celebrity

    • Readings - Considerations for Captive Release

    • Readings - Conservation Scientists Call for a New Approach to Saving Endangered Dolphins and Porpoises

    • Readings - Flippers, Fins and Tail Flukes
  10. 10

    • Marine Mammal Training Part A

    • Marine Mammal Training Part B

    • Marine Mammal Training Part C

    • Marine Mammal Training Lecture slides

    • Reading - Goldblatt (1993) Behavioural Needs of Captive Marine Mammals
  11. 11

    • Review Video pt A

    • Review Video pt B

    • Review and Study Question slides

Instructor

Instructor

Dr. Jenifer A. Zeligs

Dr. Jenifer Zeligs, world famous animal trainer and author of Animal Training 101: The complete and practical guide to the art and science of behavior modification, offers her unique and inspiring insight into the world of animal behavior modification with this one-of-a-kind lecture series.  Dr. Zeligs has been training animals of all types; domestic and exotic, terrestrial and aquatic, for over 35 years, and teaching animal training at California State University for over 15 years to students from all over the world. Her award-winning teaching is now available to a wider audience through this on-line class experience.

Praise for Working With Marine Mammals:

5 star rating

An amazing summary of marine mammal fields

Haley Booth

This class does a fantastic job of encapsulating a wide range of career fields that work with marine mammals, and gives a thorough summary of each that makes...

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This class does a fantastic job of encapsulating a wide range of career fields that work with marine mammals, and gives a thorough summary of each that makes me feel more confident about which one I would want to choose as a career path.

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5 star rating

A Great Class for Anyone

Caitlyn Swe

This class is perfect for anyone who wants to learn about the marine mammal field. It covered a wide range of topics that would help any student with an inte...

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This class is perfect for anyone who wants to learn about the marine mammal field. It covered a wide range of topics that would help any student with an interest in the industry. I especially enjoyed hearing the personal experiences of Dr. Zeligs as we covered each lesson. It's a great experience and well worth the time. I'd recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn more about marine mammalogy.

Read Less

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