On 16 August 1960, Kittinger jumped from a balloon high in the stratosphere to make the longest skydive from the highest altitude in history. It is a common misconception that Kittinger exceeded the speed of sound during his fall, but this was not the case. He did reach a peak velocity of 614 mph (988 km/h), however, a mark that still stands as the fastest speed ever reached by a human without a vehicle. Though Kittinger fell short of supersonic speeds, he did get pretty close and achieved a maximum of about Mach 0.9, or 90% of the speed of sound. Joseph Kittinger
Who Are the People That Study Reptiles & Amphibians? Every type of animal from birds to insects is studied by scientists under a particular branch of biology called zoology -- the study of animals. The scientists that study reptiles and amphibians are called herpetologists. These scientists dedicate large portions of their lives to the understanding of these creatures.
Those who work primarily with non-human primates are called primatologists. Primatologists are scientists that gather data about primates using various studies and experiments in an effort to understand evolution, behavior, or to further understand human pathology and biology.