Cougar

Cougars represent the inverse of wolf pack strategy: solitary apex predation. Where wolves achieve dominance through coordinated numbers, cougars achieve it through individual power, stealth, and massive home ranges. A single male cougar may control 150+ square miles, defending territory against all competitors. This is fundamentally different economics than wolf packs that share smaller territories cooperatively.

The cougar strategy works because their prey (deer) is dispersed rather than herded. Stalking and ambush succeed against scattered targets; coordinated pursuit is unnecessary. Cougars also avoid direct competition with wolves by occupying different niches—more mountainous terrain, more nocturnal activity, different prey demographics. Where wolves and cougars overlap, wolves often kill cougars they encounter, demonstrating that pack strategy beats individual strategy in direct confrontation.

The business parallel is independent operators versus coordinated teams. Cougars are like solo consultants, freelancers, or boutique operators who succeed through individual excellence rather than organizational leverage. They can thrive in niches where coordination costs exceed benefits—dispersed markets, specialized expertise, relationship-dependent work. But they lose in direct competition with coordinated teams and must actively avoid such confrontations. The cougar model works beautifully until a wolf pack arrives.