Female mating relationships in rhesus monkeys.

Area of Science:

• Primate Sexual Behavior
• Animal Social Dynamics
• Reproductive Strategies

Background:

• Social-living rhesus monkeys exhibit complex mating patterns.
• Previous observations suggest both consort pair formation and multi-male mating by females.
• The relationship between these behaviors remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether consortships and multi-male mating represent distinct strategies or phases in rhesus monkey mating.
• To analyze the copulatory patterns of female rhesus monkeys in a heterosexual group.

Main Methods:

• Observed the copulatory behavior of 27 adult female rhesus monkeys in an outdoor, heterosexual group.
• Utilized group scan and focal sampling techniques over discrete mating periods.
• Analyzed the identity of mating partners and intervals between copulations.

Main Results:

• Females copulated with an average of 5.22 males during their sexually active periods.
• Successive copulatory series on the same day typically involved new males.
• Repeated copulations with the same male were rare and associated with high social rank.

Conclusions:

• The pervasive pattern is female rhesus monkeys interacting with multiple males.
• Consort relationships, characterized by exclusivity, do not appear to be a primary mating strategy.
• Multi-male mating is a characteristic and widespread reproductive strategy in this species.