"Outstanding . . . Emlen's book on animal warfare reveals a world far more fascinating and intriguing than one we could summon with our imagination." -The Seattle Times

Every animal relies on a weapon of some kind-cats have claws, eagles have talons, even the dogs we keep as pets have a respectable set of teeth. In rare cases, we find species whose weapons have become stunningly outsized, some with tusks so massive that those who wield them look like they should collapse under the weight. In Animal Weapons, biologist Douglas Emlen pulls readers into the worlds of these remarkable beasts, trekking through rainforests and mountain passes to unravel the mysteries of their weapons. Along the way, Emlen shows that the essential biology of animal arms races applies to our own weapons, too. A story that begins with biology becomes the story of all weapons, as Emlen seeks to determine where this parallel leaves us today, in a world filled with the deadliest weapons of all time-nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction.

Preface xi
Extremes 1
Part I. STARTING SMALL
1. Camoufl age and Armor 13
2. Teeth and Claws 26
3. Claspers, Graspers, and Giant Jaws 40
Part II. TRIGGERING THE RACE
4. Competition 53
5. Economic Defensibility 70
6. Duels 85
Part III. RUNNING ITS COURSE
7. Costs 107
8. Reliable Signals 123
9. Deterrence 135
10. Sneaks and Cheats 148
11. End of the Race 157
Part IV. PARALLELS
12. Castles of Sand and Stone 171
13. Ships, Planes, and States 193
14. Mass Destruction 211
Acknowledgments 221
Notes 225
Index 261