I don't have a degree in herpetology actually. I have a minor in wildlife & fisheries. My degrees are in various soil and environmental sciences. My dad was a wildlife, fisheries and forestry major at UT, so I learned a lot of that from him growing up. Then I've continued to educate myself in those fields while getting my degrees in other fields to make myself more well-rounded. You don't have to have formal education in something or a piece of paper to be an expert - and I say that as someone who has papers. I also don't have a PhD (yet). I'm still writing my dissertation and regretting every second of it.
I'd decided PhD stands for "Probably Hella Dumb." Most PhD's I've been around during this process have either no discernible life skills, have an insane level of stubborness, or both. I've yet to figure out which of the latter two I am.