University of Ottawa professor Julien Martin and UCLA Professor Daniel Blumstein are part of the team behind the second-longest-running mammal study in the world!
Started in 1962 by University of Kansas professor Kenneth B. Armitage, the study on yellow-bellied marmots (a close relative of groundhogs) has spanned over six decades. Professor Blumstein joined as project leader in 2002, followed by Professor Martin as co-leader in 2013.
“Being a part of such a longstanding project is surreal. I wasn’t even born when it started,” Professor Martin says.
Now, after 64 years of marmot research in the books, UCLA graduate students Emily Renkey and Katie Adler are adding a little friendly competition to the mix. Inspired by Katmai National Park’s Fat Bear Week, the public will have the chance to vote for their favourite chubby marmots.
“Being a part of such a longstanding project is surreal. I wasn’t even born when it started”
Julien Martin
— Full Professor, Department of Biology
The goal
If you’re not familiar with Fat Bear Week, it’s an annual, week-long competition held in late September or early October where the public votes for Katmai National Park’s fattest bear—since a fat bear is a happy bear during winter hibernation. By turning these bears into beloved online celebrities, the competition inspires people to support conservation efforts.
But bears aren’t the only hibernators that need our support. For years, professors Martin and Blumstein have been studying how marmots are responding to climate change. While some are adapting through genetic changes, others are dying at unprecedented rates.
With Fat Marmot Week, the research team hopes to bring marmot science to a wider audience, using social media to educate the public on how human activity is changing the natural world these animals depend on. The cuteness of these animals is an added bonus that the team hopes will help people reconnect with nature.
The MVP of hibernators
You might be wondering: why marmots for a competition like this? Bears are the ultimate hibernators, right? Think again.
Professor Martin lightheartedly calls bears “cheaters” in the world of hibernation.
“Their body temperature barely drops a few degrees. The female even gives birth and will provide and lactate for her cubs during the winter,” he says.
Marmots, on the other hand, are true hibernators. Their body temperature can drop dramatically, nearing freezing levels. And, in terms of weight, they more than double their body mass in fat over the summer. They’re also common wild animals across North America, which Professor Martin hopes will make them easy for people to connect with.
But science aside, he argues that marmots have the cuteness factor on their side.
“To be heavily biased, I think they’re cuter than bears,” he jokes.
Exercise your right to vote!
Who’ll be crowned this year’s chubby champion? That’s up to you.
Voting is open daily from August 24 to 28, and the winner will be announced August 29.
Follow the Marmot Project on Instagram to stay up to date and cast your vote!