Colorado's Fat Marmot Week Launches to Boost Marmot Research

The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, has inaugurated a bracket‑style competition called Fat Marmot Week. Eight yellow‑bellied marmots will be voted on from Aug. 24 to Aug. 29 to determine which gains the most fat before hibernation. The event, promoted through an OnlyFans page and online voting, is designed to raise public awareness and funding for long‑term study of the species.

Researchers involved include Dan Blumstein, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA and co‑director of the lab’s Marmot Project, who noted that increasing body fat is critical for survival during unpredictable winters. Graduate students Emily Renkey and Katie Adler explained that marmots are true hibernators, entering torpor with body temperatures just above freezing, and that greater fat reserves improve their chances of emerging alive in spring.