A group of marmot researchers is trying a new way to raise funding for their work ― and their plan is arousing a lot of attention.
The researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) have been studying yellow-bellied marmots ― a species of ground squirrel ― at a field station near Crested Butte, Colo., since 1962. But the program is at risk of losing funding despite having 65 years of data on the furry creatures.
This inspired project leaders to boldly go where few biologists have gone before: OnlyFans, the social media platform popular with creators of all kinds, especially those who create adult content.
And the name of the page? OnlyMarms, of course.
Will Lockwood via Getty Images
RMBL officially announced their venture on Instagram last month, promoting what they described as “ uncensored marmot content!”
“We’re trying this out of frustration with an extremely challenging funding environment,” Daniel Blumstein, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA, told LiveScience. “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.”
Potential subscribers hoping for content that brings out their animal side will probably be disappointed, Blumstein admitted.
“[It’s] almost all G-rated content of marmots playing, being cute, digging, bringing plants to their burrows…normal routine stuff for marmots,” Blumstein said. “The occasional scuffle makes it PG-rated.”
Emily Renkey, a first-year master’s student in Blumstein’s lab, is the person responsible for posting the best marmot action.
“Sometimes I’m just posting the videos I think will get the most ‘aws,’” she told SFGate. “But my favorite is when I find footage of a particular behavior, and I can use that to educate people.”
Although the OnlyMarms page is capturing the media’s attention, so far, it has only raised a few hundred bucks ― enough to purchase bait to lure marmots to places where researchers can study them up close.
Luckily, the RMBL isn’t putting all its eggs in the OnlyFans basket. It is also trying to raise attention and funds with events like Fat Marmot Week, which officially begins Aug. 24, and will allow people to vote for the fattest marmot near Crested Butte.