A chubby male marmot with a penchant for consuming rocks has been crowned the most popular yellow-bellied marmot in Gothic, Colo. During the inaugural Fat Marmot Week at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Dawn emerged victorious in both the popular vote and weight gain competition leading up to hibernation season.
According to his online profile, Dawn is recognized for fathering multiple litters of baby marmots and enjoying licking salt and minerals off rocks. He nearly doubled his body weight this summer from 2.5 to 5.9 kilograms, approximately 5.5 to 13 pounds.
Katie Adler, the organizer of Fat Marmot Week, expressed that Dawn truly earned the title, describing him as a unique marmot with a fondness for consuming rocks. As the reigning champion, Dawn has also become the unofficial ambassador for the Marmot Project, a crucial long-term research initiative facing funding uncertainties due to cuts in science and education budgets in the United States.
Inspired by the success of Fat Bear Week, an annual competition held by Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, Fat Marmot Week aims to raise awareness about marmots, who like bears, need to accumulate significant weight before hibernating during the winter months in Gothic.
Adler, a UCLA graduate student and member of the Marmot Project, highlighted the importance of the research program, which has been ongoing since 1962 and has provided valuable insights into marmot behavior and adaptations over generations. Despite its significant contributions to wildlife research, the Marmot Project is facing challenges due to funding cuts and uncertainties in the scientific community.
To combat these challenges, the Marmot Project has launched innovative campaigns such as OnlyMarms on the platform OnlyFans to attract public attention and financial support. These efforts have successfully raised over $120,000 in donations, although the sustainability of such funding methods remains uncertain.
In a bid to secure long-term funding for their research, the Marmot Project has initiated a petition urging Congress to reverse the cuts to scientific research. While these efforts continue, plans are underway for the next Fat Marmot Week in 2027, with the hope of garnering further public appreciation for these resilient creatures.