Mating behavior is a species-specific characteristic of the species’ social structure and mating system. Studying copulation systems can help understand cohesiveness and stability of a primate society. From November 2013 to October 2014, we observed mating behaviors of a semi-provisioned group of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve, Yunan, China. All-occurrence and focal animal sampling methods were used to collect data on duration and frequency of pre-copulatory, copulatory, and post-copulatory behaviors of subjects involved. We found that monkeys mated year round, with a reproductive peak during the mating season (roughly from July to September); mating was initiated mainly by the females (76%), females also showed an observable solicitation peak during the mating season. Male mounting frequency (yearly mean= 0.43 times/month, n=5) and rate of ejaculation/mounting (yearly mean 19%, n=5) showed no significant variability. Therefore, the relationship between seasonality and sexual response for mating differs between the sexes. Females ran or jumped into a male's range of vision to come into notice, then prostrated and glanced at the male to solicit being sexually mounted. The distance between a prostrating female and the resident male affected the success rate of the solicitation (<1 m, 68% vs. 2-5 m, 40%). If the first solicitation failed, females might prostrate other several times (max= 4 times) to sexually coax the resident male. Multiple sexual solicitations significantly increased the rate of the resident male’s mounting over that of a single solicitation (79% vs. 52%). After mating, females might groom the male, but this allogrooming was not significantly related with whether the male had ejaculated in this female.
Xia Fan, Zhu Pingfen, Li Ming, Ren Baoping
. Mating behavior of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Xiangguqing in the Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2016
, 36(1)
: 1
-14
.
DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.201601001