Abstract:  In non-human primates, sexual harassment behavior has been defined as any response from non-copulatory individuals to ongoing copulatory individuals. However, the motivation of adult females′ sexual harassment remains obscure. In this study, we analyzed the variation in patterns and factors of sexual harassment in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China from August 2016 to May 2017, using all occurrence sampling method. The results showed that the frequency of non-contact harassment was higher compared to the contact harassment (P<0.05); the frequency of sexual harassment among adult females was not significantly influenced by age-class (P>0.05); sexual harassment was positively correlated to social rank (P<0.05); adult females harassed toward kinship than non-kinship individuals more frequently (P<0.05). Our results suggested sexual harassment among adult females in Tibetan macaques is influenced by kinship or social rank. This study will provide some explanations about motivation of sexual harassment by adult females.

Key words: Tibetan macaques, adult female, sexual harassment, pattern of harassment, influencing factors