Seasonal Change in Activity Rhythms and Time Budgets of Tibetan Macaques

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Primate activity rhythms and time budgets are dictated by food availability, temperature, and social factor; thus, primates must adapt their behaviors to accommodate fluctuations in environmental change. We conducted a year-long field study in the Huangshan region to collect data on Tibetan macaques’ behavior and local weather. We compiled and analyzed these data, explored Tibetan macaques’ behavioral patterns, and analyzed the potential factors that differentiate these behavioral patterns. The results indicate that Tibetan macaques have two foraging peaks and one resting peak in a day. Temperature and food were the main factors affecting the activity time budget of Tibetan macaques. Tibetan macaques’ daily activity time budgets are significantly different in sex and age group. ABSTRACT: Activity rhythms and time budgets are important to understand behavioral variability and adaptation in primates because animals normally use a behavioral adjustment as a preferential choice in response to environmental changes. Therefore, we observed a group of un-provisioned Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in Tianhu Mountain County Nature Reserve, Mount Huangshan, Southern Anhui, China. We used the instantaneous scan sampling method to collect behavioral data on their activity rhythms and time budget. The results showed that Tibetan macaques have two foraging peaks (9:00–10:00 and 14:00–15:00) and a resting peak at 12:00–13:00. They spent 31.96% resting, 28.59% foraging, 26.96% moving, 6.90% grooming, and 5.59% other. The total time of foraging and moving per month significantly and positively correlated with fruits and buds and negatively correlated with leaves. Different sexes and age groups demonstrated different activity time budgets, with adult males, adult females, and young macaques spending most of their time resting, grooming, and playing, respectively. We elucidated the effects of different environmental conditions on Tibetan macaques and their behavioral adaptation strategies.