Mate Boost in Ark Survival Evolved

Two creatures of the opposite sex in Ark Survival Evolved get a mate boost to their damage output.  The idea behind this mechanic is that a dino would fight extra hard to protect its mate.  The damage output increases by 33%, which is highly significant.  This buff works for both wild and tame animals.  It is easy to tell if an animal is mate boosted because it will have a little floating heart above itself.  Watch out for mate-boosted wild dinos when trying to tame them. Take out the one(s) you don't want before taming.  I have heard that it also takes longer to tame a mate-boosted animal, but I have not tested it.

For example, see this video on mate boosting. 

Take advantage of another mechanic from mate boosting, and that is mate boosted females will lay eggs more frequently than those who do not have a buff.  If setting up a kibble farm, one male can mate boost multiple females.