Though females are generally more selective in mate choice, males may also benefit from mate choice if male reproductivesuccess is limited by factors other than simply the number of female mates, and if females differ in short-term reproductivepotential. We studied male mate choice in a free-ranging troop of Tibetan macaques Macaco thibetana at Mt. Huangshan,China, from August 2007 to April 2008. We employed focal animal sampling and all occurrence sampling to record sexual relatedbehaviors. Eight adult females were divided into three female quality categories according to the females' age, rank and parity.Using male mating effort as a proxy for male mate choice, we found that males do distinguish female quality and showtime-variant mating strategies. Specifically, females with dominant rank, high fecundity, and middle age attracted significantlymore males. Our results suggest that female short-term reproductive potential appears to be an important variable in determiningmale mating effort. Male Tibetan macaques do exercise mate choice for higher quality females as well as reduce useless reproductivecost, which is consistent with the direct benefits theory of mate
