Animal Competition

Why do Animals Fight?

There are several reasons why animals fight. For one, they might want to fight for superiority. This means that they want to fight for the top spot in their family, or clan. Sometimes, this can be fatal, and one of the competitors may die. This is a natural course of action, as it has been happening since the species evolved.

Why Else?

Well, competition is a healthy thing to have. If there was no competition, there would also be no choice.

Here's a YouTube video to explain competition in ecosystems:

Let's think about it from a supermarket perspective:

Where do you Shop? Becoming Alpha Male

There are a whole plethora of supermarkets and shops you can go to for the same (or similar) items. For me, I personally shop in Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Aldi, M&S, Morrisons, ASDA... That's just my food shopping. Seriously, I shop [mainly] in Tesco, and pop to the others for other bits.

So, the same goes in the animal world. A lion will forage for food for its pride or coalition, but they will happily perform competition between species. They may fight a zebra, or antelope, for example, in order to find food for the day.

Territory - Between Species, or Between Other Species

Another reason why there may be competition is because it is for the survival of the species. One species may fight another species to gain territory - superiority over an area of land - to be able to keep their species alive. This is called interspecific competition. For example, a lion may have an area that is protected by the lions, and a leopard family may come into contact with them by pasing through. Animal competition may ensue, and the lion will fight a leopard. Whoever wins, gains the territory.

Interesting fact: a wolf pack will walk for miles, but the alpha will always walk behind the rest. This is because the sick will be at the front, and the rest will follow at their pace. The alpha will be able to see all of the pack and move appropriately if needed.

Mating Rituals

Why would a female pick one male over the other? This is something that in the animal world is decided by a fight. Whether that fight is fatal is something else, as it's not always the case. It is to see who can be on top, and become what is known as the Alpha.

This is also present in humans. OK, maybe not the fighting so much, but we all choose a partner based on many factors - the way we look to others, the way we present ourselves to others, and the way we behave when approached by others can all give indication to the other sex of our intentions.