Is female-male mounting functional? An analysis of the temporal patterns of sexual behaviors in Japanese macaques

•Behavioral structure contributes to testing hypotheses about behavioral function.•Temporal analysis of mating sequences helps test the function of female-male mounts.•Female-male mounting may be a sexual solicitation in Japanese monkeys.•Female-male mounting may be a sexual adaptation in Japanese monkeys.•Our research has implications for the evolution of non-conceptive sex in primates.