Student Stories
Jake Esselstyn
Bandon, Ore.
Doctoral student, ecology and evolutionary biology
“I go to the Philippines to do field work two to four times a year, and it’s fairly expensive. Airfare alone is $1,400. We’re always trying to find more sources of money, and private funding helps. The Hall funds have been a regular source.”
During a research trip to the Philippines’ Mindoro Island in February 2006, Jake Esselstyn made an exciting find: a new species of fruit bat. But it wasn’t the usual brown bat. This one had orange fur, white stripes on the sides of its face and a pointed, fox-like chin.
“One of our guides had told us about this unusual-looking fruit bat with stripes,” Esselstyn said. “We didn’t really believe him, but we played along. After a few days it turned out he was being completely honest with us.”
Esselstyn returned to KU and published his findings in the August 2007 Journal of Mammalogy. News of his discovery — and a photo of the furry creature — spread from National Geographic’s online edition to local headlines in Lawrence.
Leonard Krishtalka, director of KU’s Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, said this is a substantial find.
“Every species is different, and I think the discovery of a new fruit bat that adds to the biodiversity of the Philippines is very important,” he said.
Private funding from two generations of one family contributed to Esselstyn’s ability to find the bat. The E. Raymond and Mary Hall Endowment Fund for the Natural History Museum provided funds for the trip on which Esselstyn made his discovery. And funds provided by the Halls’ son, Hub, and his wife, Kathleeen, helped finance earlier trips that set the stage for the discovery.
KU’s natural history museum is the nation’s leading university natural history museum in biodiversity research.