Scientists Launch 'OnlyMarms' Page to Fund Marmot Research

Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado have launched a free OnlyFans account called "OnlyMarms" to fund their long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots. The laboratory, which has studied the species for 65 years, turned to the platform after facing cuts to traditional funding sources.

UCLA professor Daniel Blumstein, co-director of the Marmot Project, said the idea came from the popularity of marmot videos on social media, where clips have garnered millions of views. The account features G-rated content of marmots such as Jamba Juice and Egg, including footage of a female marmot rebuffing a male's advances.

As of late August, the OnlyMarms page had attracted approximately 1,700 followers and earned about $6,000 in tips. The laboratory is also running its first "Fat Marmot Week," a public voting competition modeled after the National Park Service's Fat Bear Week, where viewers choose which marmot has gained the most hibernation weight.

Additional fundraising efforts include a meme cryptocurrency called OnlyMarms, which has reportedly generated thousands of dollars in fees for the lab, and a collaboration with a local brewery on a special edition beer named "Marmot Tears."

Blumstein emphasized that understanding species' roles in their ecosystems is necessary even when it does not yield direct profit. The laboratory hopes these creative revenue streams will sustain its research into the future.

The yellow-bellied marmot is the largest member of the squirrel family and a key subject for studying social behavior, hibernation physiology, and climate change responses in alpine environments.

Long-term ecological studies like this one are rare and valuable because they allow scientists to track population dynamics and behavioral changes across decades.

Funding instability is a common threat to such longitudinal research, prompting institutions to explore unconventional outreach and monetization strategies.