Spectacled Bear

Spectacled bears are South America's only bear, demonstrating how keystone bear strategy adapts to tropical cloud forests where hibernation provides no advantage. Without cold winters, spectacled bears never evolved dormancy—they remain active year-round. Instead, they've become arboreal specialists, climbing into canopy to access bromeliads, fruits, and orchids that no other large mammal can reach.

Their keystone role differs correspondingly. Instead of transporting salmon nutrients, spectacled bears disperse seeds and create tree falls that open light gaps in dense forest. They're ecosystem engineers through their feeding rather than their feeding ecology. But the keystone effects are more subtle—no dramatic salmon carcass fertilization or riverbank modification.

The business parallel is keystone positions that emerge from different core activities. Grizzlies are keystones through what they transport; spectacled bears are keystones through what they distribute. Both shape their ecosystems, but through different mechanisms matched to different environments. A company can achieve keystone influence through logistics (Amazon), through platform (Apple App Store), or through standard-setting (Microsoft Windows). The influence matters more than the specific mechanism, and the right mechanism depends on the ecosystem structure.