Spotted Hyena

Spotted hyenas are lions' primary interference competitors, demonstrating how two apex strategies can coexist through different optimization choices. Lions dominate through individual power—a single male lion can drive off multiple hyenas. Hyenas dominate through collective numbers—a clan of 20+ hyenas can drive a pride off kills. The outcome of any encounter depends entirely on the ratio present.

This creates fascinating competitive dynamics. Lions and hyenas compete intensively for the same prey and will kill each other's young given opportunity. Yet both populations persist because their different strategies create offsetting advantages. Lions win when numbers are roughly equal; hyenas win when they can mass overwhelming force. Neither can eliminate the other because each strategy has contexts where it dominates.

The business parallel is intense competitors who can't eliminate each other because they optimize different variables. Lions are like companies with superior unit economics—better product, higher margins, stronger brand. Hyenas are like companies with superior volume economics—more locations, larger sales force, better distribution. Each wins in contexts that favor their strength. Neither achieves permanent dominance because the market contains both contexts. Lion-hyena competition shows that stable competitive equilibria can exist between fundamentally different strategies.