El depredador y la presa se miran el uno al otro en el ecosistema.

Questions & Answers about El depredador y la presa se miran el uno al otro en el ecosistema.

Why do we need el uno al otro if se miran already means "they look at each other"?
The pronoun se can be reflexive ("they look at themselves") or reciprocal ("they look at each other"). While context usually makes it clear, adding el uno al otro removes any doubt and emphasizes that the action goes back and forth between them.
La presa is feminine, so why does the sentence use the masculine el uno al otro?
When referring to a mixed-gender group—in this case, the masculine depredador and the feminine presa—Spanish grammar rules dictate using the masculine default. If the sentence were about two female animals, it would be la una a la otra.
Where does the al in el uno al otro come from?
It is a contraction of the preposition a and the article el. The a here acts as the "personal a," which is used because the specific animals are the direct objects of the verb mirar (to look at).
Could we use mutuamente in this sentence instead?
Absolutely. You could say se miran mutuamente. It has the exact same meaning and serves the same purpose: to make it 100% clear that the action is shared between the two subjects.

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