Apart from territory and mates, name one other thing that animals mainly compete for.

Animals compete for various resources in their environment, which are crucial for their survival and reproductive success. Apart from territory and mates, one significant resource that animals often compete for is food.

Explanation:

Food availability is vital for sustaining energy levels, supporting growth, and ensuring reproductive success. In ecosystems, competition for food can occur within a species (intraspecific competition) or between different species (interspecific competition).

Species may have various adaptations to gain access to food resources, such as specialized feeding behaviors or physical characteristics. For example, some animals may have evolved to be more efficient hunters, while others may have developed unique foraging strategies to exploit specific food sources. The competition for food can significantly affect population dynamics, influence ecosystem structure, and drive evolutionary changes within species.

Thus, the competition for food is a pivotal aspect of animal behavior and ecology, impacting survival rates and the overall health of ecosystems.