David J. Tuss

I received this book for free from the GoodReads first reads program in exchange for an honest review.

[b: Animal Weapons: The Evolution of Battle|20696035|Animal Weapons The Evolution of Battle|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396821719s/20696035.jpg|40015556] by [a: Douglas J. Emlen|7811274|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409067528p2/7811274.jpg] is a delightful enlightening read. [a: Douglas J. Emlen|7811274|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409067528p2/7811274.jpg] focuses on many unusual animals, rather than focusing upon the typical big cats, wild dogs, and dinosaurs. The main thrust of his book is the insects - beetles, flies, and other such forgotten creatures litter the pages with their bizarre adaptations and startlingly complex behavior. The times when the author is writing about these are the best part of the book - he thrives in descriptions of the unusual, and the pages fly by.

The book never became boring, but the transitions were largely bizarre to me, which in turn affected some of my enjoyment. While I agree that there are rather clear parallels between human weapon development and animal evolution - and that the case presented was a good one - I think it was clumsily written. Transitions could have been handled better, but overall that wasn't so jarring as to heavily impact my rating of the book.

In spite of the small gripe in terms of transitions, the book was wonderful. The contents were fascinating, the arguments presented well thought out, and the illustrations provided by [a: David J. Tuss] truly stunning. The illustrations, two of which adorn the cover, are fantastic and playfully done without sacrificing detail or scientific accuracy.

A good pop-sci read on an unusual topic.… (más)

Postulates and defends three criteria for arms races to escalate towards (proportionately) massive/extreme weapons: 1) Competition: for breeding rights - the longer it takes a female, or a male in rare cases, to incubate and raise the next generation then recoup - the more badass one has to be to prevail; 2) Economic Defensibility: if prime food and nesting materials exist in a limited area as opposed to being spread out over a large territory, it is advantageous to be able to first take and then protect a portion of this ideal terrain since the females are sure to come flocking; 3) Duels: if defensibility of this ideal terrain lends itself to one-on-one competition (i.e. a tunnel) then massive weapons are baller mainly because of their strong deterrence abilities (can't breed if you're dead) and of course their advantages during fights. Parallels are drawn bw examples throughout the animal kingdom and human military history. Also discusses the termination of an arms race: eventually the immense resources demanded by weaponry can't be supported and/or massive weaponry no longer ensures the advantage. My favorite example being the "sneaky male dung beetle" who burrows into the dominate male's tunnel via a side entrance whilst he's busy defending it from traditionally competitive males and goes to town. Delightful sketches throughout the book and a gloomy prophecy for humanity (weapons of mass destruction change the game, to no one's long term benefit).… (más)

I received this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. Overall, I thought this book was excellent. Emlen had well thought-out points and was able to support all of the factors that precede and enable an arms race in the animal kingdom. It went a lot deeper into natural selection in regards to animal weapon development than I had considered before. It was fascinating to learn about some long extinct animals (hello saber-tooth tiger on the cover). I think some of the ties were a little stretched in the human section, however. I think Emlen would have been better served having a case study and making his points within the case study. While he does write about The Cold War, it's within the last 5-10 pages of the book. It does end in a rather depressing fashion about how humanity isn't likely to survive another arms race because of how The Cold War made biological weapons and weapons of mass destruction inexpensive and easy to obtain for smaller nations. Sadly, I believe his hypothesis is likely to be true.… (más)