Colorado lab launches ‘OnlyMarms’ to fund marmot research
With traditional funding facing cuts, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory — which has spent 65 years studying yellow-bellied marmots — has turned to the internet for help.
Colorado researchers noticed marmot videos amassing millions of likes on TikTok, including one viral clip of a marmot getting a bath that topped three million views. They decided to harness that popularity.”Marmots have money troubles, and I figured why not launch an OnlyFans site?” UCLA professor Daniel Blumstein, co-director of The Marmot Project, told TODAY. After a student suggested the name ‘OnlyMarms,’ the account went live on OnlyFans.com.
The G-rated OnlyMarms page is free and accepts tips to fund rodent research. Early videos feature marmots named Jamba Juice and Egg, including one of a female rebuffing an interested male at her burrow. The account already has about 1,700 fans and has earned approximately $6,000 in tips.
The lab has launched other creative fundraisers, including its first-ever Fat Marmot Week — a public vote on which marmots are gaining the most hibernation weight, modeled after Fat Bear Week. Voting for Round 1 ends August 24th.
Supporters have also created an OnlyMarms meme coin cryptocurrency that has reportedly earned thousands in fees, while a local brewery is collaborating on a special fundraising beer called Marmot Tears.
“Understanding the world around us is something where there might not be a direct profit, but we need to understand the world around us. We need to understand the role of species in their communities,” Blumstein told UCLA’s Daily Bruin.
