Cookiecutter Shark

The cookiecutter shark is a 20-inch predator that feeds on whales, tuna, and other creatures a hundred times its size - not by killing them, but by ambushing them for a single bite. Using suction-cup lips and razor-sharp teeth arranged in a circular saw pattern, the cookiecutter latches onto passing megafauna, spins its body, and carves out a perfect plug of flesh. The wound is painful but rarely lethal. The shark descends back into darkness with its meal.

This is parasitic predation. Unlike true predators that kill prey, cookiecutter sharks extract value without destroying the host. They've damaged nuclear submarines (biting through rubber sonar domes), attacked underwater cables, and left distinctive crater wounds on nearly every large creature in their range. Their bioluminescent belly camouflages them from below, matching downwelling light - except for a dark collar that may mimic a small fish silhouette to lure predators close.

The business insight concerns extraction without destruction. Some business models harvest value from larger entities without killing them: patent licensing from operating companies, affiliate marketing from retail platforms, or consulting fees from corporate clients. The cookiecutter strategy explicitly avoids killing the host - the whale survives to be bitten again. Sustainable parasitism requires restraint. Take too much and the host dies or learns to avoid you. The circular wound pattern isn't just efficient cutting - it's calibrated extraction that leaves the host viable.