Plains Zebra

Plains zebras add a visual dimension to predator dilution: their stripes create motion dazzle that confuses lion targeting in running herds. When zebras flee, the pattern of black and white makes it difficult for predators to track any individual, especially at the boundaries where zebras overlap visually. The stripes don't provide camouflage—they provide confusion.

This visual confusion compounds with numerical dilution. A lion charging a zebra herd faces both the statistical problem (which one to target?) and the perceptual problem (which one am I tracking?). Zebras don't need to be fast; they need to be indistinguishable. The strategy optimizes for collective defense through individual anonymity.

The business parallel is differentiation through collective indistinguishability rather than individual distinction. Zebras are like commodity competitors who benefit from category confusion—generic pharmaceuticals, white-label manufacturers, or services where customers can't distinguish providers. When the 'predator' (customer, regulator, competitor) can't easily distinguish individuals, the collective benefits. Zebra strategy shows that sometimes the best defense against targeting is making targeting cognitively expensive.