OnlyMarms: Wild Marmots Turn to OnlyFans to Fund University Research

Wild marmots became the latest creators on OnlyFans after a UCLA professor launched an account named OnlyMarms to raise funds for wild rodent research following budget cuts to funding. Dan Blumstein, a professor at UCLA and co-director of The Marmot Project in Colorado, turned to the platform to secure the future of his long-running field study on yellow-bellied marmots.

Unlike typical content on the platform, the channel shares family-friendly videos of wild marmots scurrying around, popping out of burrows, and soaking up the sun. Since debuting at the end of May, the page has attracted 1,700 fans and raised over $5,000 in tips. Supporters also created an OnlyMarms memecoin, which generated an additional $75,000 in transaction fees.

The idea hit Blumstein while counting marmots in a meadow and recalling watching a television series about an OnlyFans creator with his wife, with a student suggesting the account name at the time. OnlyFans approved the profile after Blumstein explained that the marmots could not complete the platform’s mandatory age verification because they do not hold driving licences.

Building on this online attention, the team is now organising its first Fat Marmot Week, inspired by Alaska’s Fat Bear Week, to celebrate body positivity as the rodents double or triple their mass before going into hibernation. While the fundraiser offers a light-hearted fix, Blumstein notes that it reflects ongoing threats to universities, scientific work, and long-term ecological studies.