Fat Marmot Week in Gothic, Colorado, crowned a chunky yellow-bellied marmot named Dawn as this year’s winner. The event, hosted by the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, featured a competition based on popular votes and weight gain before hibernation. Dawn emerged victorious on both fronts.
According to Dawn’s online profile, he is known for fathering multiple marmot litters and indulging in licking salt and minerals off rocks. During the summer, his weight nearly doubled from 2.5 to 5.9 kilograms (approximately 5.5 to 13 pounds). Katie Adler, the organizer of Fat Marmot Week, praised Dawn as a deserving winner due to his unique habit of consuming rocks.
As the reigning champion, Dawn has become an unofficial ambassador for the Marmot Project, a long-standing research initiative facing financial uncertainties amidst cuts to science and education funding in the United States.
Inspired by Alaska’s Fat Bear Week, Fat Marmot Week sheds light on the hibernation preparations of yellow-bellied marmots in Gothic. These creatures accumulate weight to survive the winter cold, a process that Adler described as essential for their winter survival.
The Marmot Project, a generational study of yellow-bellied marmots based at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, launched in 1962 and ranks as the world’s second-longest research program on individually marked mammals. However, ongoing funding challenges threaten its continuity, with recent budget cuts impacting research organizations like the National Science Foundation.
To sustain their research, the Marmot Project initiated innovative campaigns such as OnlyMarms on OnlyFans, aiming to raise awareness and secure donations. Despite raising over $120,000 in donations, the project acknowledges the need for stable, long-term funding to support its crucial work.
In response to funding uncertainties, the Marmot Project has initiated a petition urging the U.S. Congress to reverse cuts to research funding. While the project remains committed to its goals, including planning for the next Fat Marmot Week in 2027, its success relies on continued support and public appreciation for the resilient marmots in their natural habitat.