A group of researchers focused on marmots is exploring an unconventional method to secure funding, garnering significant attention in the process.
Since 1962, scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) have studied yellow-bellied marmots—a type of ground squirrel—near Crested Butte, Colorado. Despite having amassed 65 years of data, the research program is facing potential funding cuts.
In response to this challenge, the project leaders have decided to take an unusual step: leveraging OnlyFans, a social media platform renowned for hosting diverse creators, including those producing adult content.
Their page on the platform is aptly named OnlyMarms.
Will Lockwood via Getty Images
RMBL publicly announced their venture on Instagram last month, highlighting what they termed as “uncensored marmot content!”
Daniel Blumstein, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, explained to LiveScience that the move stems from frustration with the current challenging funding climate. “If we’re lucky, it can help raise money for supplies and some expenses. But unless we are very lucky, it won’t replace the federal funding that has driven discovery in the U.S. since the 1950s.”
Blumstein noted that those expecting provocative content might be let down.
“[It’s] almost all G-rated content of marmots playing, being cute, digging, bringing plants to their burrows…normal routine stuff for marmots,” he said. “The occasional scuffle makes it PG-rated.”
Emily Renkey, a first-year master’s student in Blumstein’s lab, is responsible for curating the top marmot moments.
“Sometimes I’m just posting the videos I think will get the most ‘aws,’” she mentioned to SFGate. “But my favorite is when I find footage of a particular behavior, and I can use that to educate people.”
Despite the publicity, OnlyMarms has only generated a few hundred dollars so far—just enough to buy bait to attract marmots for closer study.
Fortunately, RMBL is not solely relying on OnlyFans. They are also organizing events like Fat Marmot Week, starting on August 24, where participants can vote for the heaviest marmot around Crested Butte.
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