'OnlyMarms': Marmots Facing Money Troubles Turn to OnlyFans to Save Their Research

August 13, 2026

When federal funding disappeared, a group of scientists came up with an unusually creative way to keep their decades-long study of marmots in the spotlight: they put their furry research subjects on OnlyFans.

OnlyMarms is raising money for Marmot research

The account is called OnlyMarms, and despite the platform's reputation, there is nothing risqué about these particular stars. Instead, followers get family-friendly videos of yellow-bellied marmots doing what marmots do best: emerging from burrows, interacting with one another, sounding alarms and preparing for another long winter in the Colorado Rockies.

The idea came from UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Daniel Blumstein, who leads the long-running Marmot Project at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado.

The project has been collecting data for more than 60 years, making it the second-longest study of individually identified mammals in the world. Researchers have used that extraordinary record to learn about animal behavior, health, longevity, social relationships and how early-life experiences can affect survival.

But after the National Science Foundation declined to continue funding the project, the researchers suddenly faced an enormous challenge: how do you keep a six-decade scientific effort going when the funding runs out?

Blumstein found inspiration while sitting in a meadow waiting for marmots to appear.

He had recently watched the television show "Margo's Got Money Troubles," in which a character turns to OnlyFans to make money. As he waited for the marmots, he had a thought.

"Marmots' got money troubles," he recalled thinking. "Maybe we should do something a little risqué."

"I came back to the lab one day and I said, 'Hey, what do you think about starting an OnlyFans account?' One of my graduate students was like 'yes!' and someone else was like 'ugh' and I think it was Emily that said 'OnlyMarms' and we all laughed."

And just like that, OnlyMarms was born.

The account quickly became an unexpected hit. Thousands of people have visited the page, and supporters have contributed more than $6,000.

The videos give viewers a close-up look at the animals in their natural environment while researchers explain what is actually happening from a scientific perspective.

And the scientists aren't stopping with OnlyMarms.

They have also created "Fat Marmot Week," a playful competition inspired by Fat Bear Week. At the end of August, the public will be able to vote for their favorite chunky marmot in a bracket-style tournament.

The extra weight isn't just cute, either. Marmots hibernate through the winter, so building up enough fat before the cold arrives can literally mean the difference between surviving and not surviving.

"It's fun to root for the chunkiest marmot," Blumstein said, "but behind the fun and games is a deathly serious competition against nature to pile on fat to survive the long, cold winter."

OnlyMarms isn't going to replace the federal funding needed to maintain such an extensive research project. But it has accomplished something almost as valuable: it has introduced thousands of people to a scientific study they might never have heard about.

And for now, these chunky little rodents are doing their part to keep an important piece of science alive, one adorable video at a time.