Nile Crocodile

Nile crocodiles compete with lions through temporal and spatial niche separation: crocodiles dominate the water, lions dominate the land. During river crossings, crocodiles become apex predators taking prey lions can't touch. The same wildebeest that dilutes lion predation on land becomes concentrated, vulnerable targets in water. The crocodile exploits the chokepoint lions create.

This creates an interesting competitive dynamic. Lions drive prey toward water during dry seasons; crocodiles benefit from lion-induced prey movements. Crocodiles take prey at crossings that would otherwise survive to dilute lion predation. The two apex predators don't compete directly—they partition the environment and inadvertently assist each other.

The business parallel is competitors who partition customer journeys rather than competing at every touchpoint. Crocodiles are like companies that dominate specific moments—payment processors at checkout, recruiters at job transitions, movers at relocations. Lions are like companies that dominate ongoing relationships. Neither competes with the other because they operate at different points in the customer lifecycle. Crocodile strategy shows that apex positioning doesn't require continuous presence—it requires dominance at chokepoints.