For Sale: Naming rights of bat species

John Bickham, Center for Environment Director at Discovery Park, wasn't looking for a new species - it just happened. Bickham said he stumbled upon the new species while studying the mammal's chromosome structure.

"At that time we didn't fully realize these forms with different karyotypes were different species," he said.

Bickham started looking at the rhogeessa tumida, otherwise known as the "little yellow bat," while in graduate school in the 1970s. Back then, Bickham said scientists believed there was only one species. Today, more than twelve new species have been identified.

"Over the years we've identified many un-described, unknown forms and now I want to describe these animals and use that as a resource to try to generate support for the kind of environmental research that needs to be done here at Discovery Park," Bickham said.

Bickham is giving up the right to name the new species to a donor willing to pay for the honor. He hopes to raise up to a million dollars to fund environmental research at Purdue and in Central America to raise awareness for what he calls a "biodiversity crisis."

He said there are 1.6 million known species in the world. Scientists believe there are close to 14 million more un-named or undiscovered.

"In the case of biodiversity loss, when a species goes extinct, it's lost forever. All the qualities, all the capabilities, all the attributes of that form are lost to us forever," Bickham explained.

He hopes his donation will shed light on issues like climate change and deforestation, which he believes are some of the most dangerous predators to undiscovered species on earth. The bat will be the first of several opportunities to name new species.

For more information on how call Purdue's Discovery Park at (765) 494-0520.