In the heart of Lake Wheeler Park, nestled in a cozy oak tree, lived a curious young Eastern Gray Squirrel named Skippy.

 "I'm sick and tired of this! This is the 50th nut we’ve buried that was stolen! I hate sharing! I wish I weren’t a squirrel!"

 One breezy morning, Skippy huffed and puffed...

His mother tried to cheer him up...

"Oh Skippy, I know it’s frustrating, but every animal has to deal with competition."

 "No way! If I were a Canada Goose, I wouldn’t have to fight over anything! I could just swoop in and get an easy meal!"
 "Even Canada Geese battle Greylag Geese for nests and food," Mom said.

 "Fine, then I’d be a Mallard! They get free bread from humans!"
 "Mallards compete with Wood Ducks for nesting cavities in trees."

 "A Cormorant then! No one beats them in diving!"
 "And still compete with Great Blue Herons for fish in the lake."

 "A Red-shouldered Hawk! They’re fast and  powerful!"

"They compete with Barred Owls for prey and territory. One hunts by day, the other by night."

 "Aha! A Common Watersnake! They can live in both land and water! That means they can go somewhere else if they have to share!"
 "They still have to share their meals with Snapping Turtles—fish, frogs, and more."

 "What about a Fowler’s Toad? They're so well camouflaged there's no way the competition can see them!"
 "Fowler’s Toads breed at the same time as American Toads and Treefrogs—making space and food tight!"

 "Maybe I could buzz like a Honey Bee, after all they're basically an army, nobody can compete with them!"
 "Honey Bees compete with Carpenter Bees—and sometimes even steal nectar!"

 "Then I’d be a ladybug. They are lucky, right?"
 "Lucky enough to compete with Asian lady beetles for food and usually lose."

 "I’d be a Winter Ant then! I’d be too small to notice."
 "Fire Ants bully Winter Ants and take over their territory."

 "A Gray Fox is too sly to compete!"
 "Coyotes compete with Gray Foxes and often force them out of their territory."

 "An Eastern Cottontail? No one hops as fast as they do!"
 "They compete over plants just with White-tailed Deer. Lots of mouths, limited leaves."

 "I’ll be a Beaver! I've never seen anyone with teeth like them."
 "Beavers and Coypus both chomp on wetland plants and shape their watery homes meaning they compete over space."