Cuckoo Catfish

Cuckoo catfish are the only fish known to practice brood parasitism. They exploit Lake Tanganyika cichlids that mouthbrood their young - holding eggs and fry in their mouths for protection. During cichlid spawning, catfish dart in and release their own eggs, which females inadvertently collect. Catfish eggs develop faster and hatchlings consume the cichlid eggs and fry.

This represents remarkable convergent evolution with avian brood parasites. Despite 400 million years of evolutionary separation, catfish independently evolved the same exploitative strategy as cuckoos. The convergence suggests brood parasitism is a stable evolutionary solution that emerges whenever hosts invest heavily in parental care.

The business parallel applies to parasitic strategies in any market with high parental investment. When platforms, incubators, or corporations invest heavily in developing partners, startups, or employees, opportunities for parasitism emerge. Free-riders can exploit the investment without reciprocating, just as cuckoo catfish exploit cichlid mouthbrooding.

Cuckoo catfish also demonstrate timing precision. They must infiltrate during the brief spawning window when cichlids collect eggs. Missing this window means missing the entire opportunity. Business parasitism similarly requires precise timing - exploiting investor due diligence cycles, regulatory approval windows, or product launch moments.