Preview
  • Animal Weapons

  • The Evolution of Battle
  • By: Douglas J. Emlen
  • Narrated by: Sean Runnette
  • Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (124 ratings)

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Animal Weapons

By: Douglas J. Emlen
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Publisher's summary

In Animal Weapons, Doug Emlen takes us outside the lab and deep into the forests and jungles, to explain the processes behind the most intriguing and curious examples of extreme animal weapons-fish with mouths larger than their bodies and bugs whose heads are so packed with muscle they don't have room for eyes. As singular and strange as some of the weapons are, we learn that similar factors set their evolution in motion. He looks at everything from our armor and camouflage to the evolution of the rifle and the structures human populations have built across different regions and eras to protect their homes and communities.

Animal Weapons brings us the complete story of how weapons reach their most outsized, dramatic potential, and what the results we witness in the animal world can tell us about our own relationship with weapons of all kinds.

©2014 Douglas J. Emlen (P)2014 Tantor
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Critic reviews

"Emlen's excellent writing will draw in readers intrigued by astonishingly powerful weapons, both in the wild and in the military, and how they have evolved owing to selective pressures." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about Animal Weapons

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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Loved it!

I loved this book. The mix of science and history, science and human nature and animal weapons was great!
Sean Runnette is fantastic as always.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

I can’t believe I found a book that combines my love for ecology and biology with military strategy and history. It’s absolutely fantastic and I learned so much. Thanks!

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Very well written, I really enjoyed this book.

I heard about this book on the Meat Eater Podcast and it sounded interesting based on the discussion about it. It was even better than expected. The author seamlessly weaves together so many interesting stories, history, facts, and research. He also makes an effort to drive home other important points that I personally appreciated. Definitely check this one out.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What I’ve been looking for.

Thank you for this work. It’s beautiful to me. Without this type of understanding we will never fully realize our mistakes. We have no natural weapon because we are human and we are human because we had no weapon, to wield/guide our fate. Nothing to focus on power or constrained to a reproductive algorithm.
Will read again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Riveting

Excellently written, brilliantly presented. Good book worth reading / listening too. I enjoyed the parallels between animal and human weapons.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent and easy read

The only thing I found a bit silly was that the author really kind of overdid it with his adjective usage throughout the book. But, that’s my only complaint. It was an interesting story that blended military history and animal weapons. Plus the reader of this book, Sean Runnette, is one of my favorites.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Fun read

Enjoyed the book. Good tie-in’s between animal weapons and their sizes and how they change over time and the similarities to changes in military weapons over time. Good read.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book!

loved this book. But the narrator has a problem pronouncing s's and they sound like "sh", which was annoying. The book deserves better!

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Not at all what I expected

This was not at all with I expected. However, I was not at all disappointed.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wanted to like it. it didn't pull me in though.

The nation could have been better and more inviting. A little to much back and forth and not enough story.

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