Cuts in Federal Funds Lead Scientists to OnlyFans to Boost Marmot Research

After the Trump administration made cuts to federal funding for universities and research, scientists have been left trying to find new ways to fund their work. For those working on the Marmot Project at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado, the funding challenges led them to launch an OnlyFans account featuring marmot videos.

The scientists launched an account on the NSFW site called “OnlyMarms,” which features videos of marmots in the wild. Although OnlyMarms features wildlife content, the account operates on a platform primarily known for adult content. First-year graduate student Emily Renkey explained to the Los Angeles Times, “We’re just framing it as a way to be in the field observing marmots with us.”

The Long-Running Marmot Project Faces Funding Challenges

This particular study on marmots was begun in 1962 by physiological and behavioral ecologist Ken Armitage. Though Armitage died in 2022, Dan Blumstein, a professor of evolutionary biology and ecology at UCLA, took over responsibility for the project when Armitage retired in 2001. Now in its 64th year, the study of yellow-bellied marmots is one of the longest-running programs of its kind.

Because of the federal funding cuts, fewer graduate students are receiving financial support to complete their work. That translates to not enough of these students to help with such a long-term study as this one.

However, while pondering the state of funding one day, Blumstein came up with the idea of putting marmot videos on OnlyFans. The idea was actually inspired by the Apple TV show Margo’s Got Money Troubles. The show revolves around a new mother who is facing financial troubles and turns to OnlyFans to earn income.

The Account Has Attracted Supporters and Additional Funding

The marmots are already gaining fans on OnlyMarms, where users can watch the animals interact with each other, get curious about the camera filming them, and just generally live their lives. So far, the account has garnered around 1,700 fans.

The account has earned around $4,000 so far. Some fans of the marmots created a meme coin called OnlyMarms. This cryptocurrency has led to tens of thousands of dollars in trading fees for the research lab.

Those wanting to avoid OnlyFans, though, can also see these wild animals on the lab’s Instagram. Later this month, the team is planning to run Fat Marmot Week, based on the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week. In this competition, people can vote for the marmot they believe will gain the most weight in preparation for hibernation. All of these methods aim to help keep interest piqued and funding going.

Per the Los Angeles Times, Blumstein stated, “This is a great teachable moment, not just about marmots, but about the sad state of scientific funding, the value of long-term scientific research and keeping a project alive that we think is valuable to society.”

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