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Matthew O Jackson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • strategic militarization deterrence and wars
    Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 2009
    Co-Authors: Matthew O Jackson, Massimo Morelli
    Abstract:

    We study countries choosing Armament levels and then whether or not to go to war. We show that if the costs of war are not overly high or low, then all equilibria must involve dove, hawk, and deterrent strategies and the probability of war is positive (but less than one) in any given period. Wars are between countries with differing Armament levels and the frequency of wars is tempered by the presence of Armament levels that are expressly chosen for their deterrent properties. As the probability of winning a war becomes more reactive to increased Armament, the frequency of wars decreases. As it becomes increasingly possible to negotiate a credible settlement, the probability of peace increases, but the variance of Armament levels increases and war becomes increasingly likely when negotiations break down.

  • strategic militarization deterrence and wars
    Social Science Research Network, 2008
    Co-Authors: Matthew O Jackson, Massimo Morelli
    Abstract:

    We study countries choosing Armament levels and then whether or not to go to war. We show that if the costs of war are not overly high or low, then all equilibria must involve "dove," "hawk," and "deterrent" strategies and the probability of war is positive (but less than one) in any given period. Wars are between countries with differing Armament levels and the frequency of wars is tempered by the presence of Armament levels that are expressly chosen for their deterrent properties. As the probability of winning a war becomes more reactive to increased Armament, the frequency of wars decreases. Finally, as it becomes increasingly possible to negotiate a credible settlement, the probability of peace increases, but the variance of Armament levels increases and war becomes increasingly likely when negotiation is not available. This matches observed patterns in the data over time.

Michele Pavino - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • I cannoni del re: l'industria Armstrong in Italia (1885-1914)
    2014
    Co-Authors: Michele Pavino
    Abstract:

    La tesi di dottorato si occupa di uno studio di caso, relativo alla nascita del military industrial complex italiano, tra la met\ue0 degli anni \u201980 dell\u2019Ottocento e la vigilia della Grande Guerra. In particolare, la tesi affronta lo studio delle relazioni commerciali tra la filiale italiana di una grande industria di Armamenti, l\u2019inglese Armstrong di Elswick, e la Regia Marina. La filiale italiana consisteva in uno stabilimento che produceva artiglierie collocato a Pozzuoli, vicino Napoli. Rispetto la tradizionale storia d\u2019impresa, incentrata sullo studio delle strategie interne delle industrie e dei relativi rapporti con l\u2019ambiente circostante, la tesi in oggetto propone una metodologia di studio che punta a porre sullo stesso piano cliente e fornitore, ossia a comprenderne le reciproche intenzioni e comportamenti, rispetto al mercato e al contesto politico contemporaneo. L\u2019oggetto privilegiato di questo studio \ue8 rappresentato dai contratti di fornitura e dalle relative relazioni tra cliente e fornitore che contribuiscono a conferire senso al significato di questi accordi. E\u2019 proprio attraverso un\u2019analisi ermeneutica dei rapporti tra contratti e relazioni cliente-fornitore \ue8 possibile contribuire a definire la politica industriale delle Regia marina e la strategia di mercato dell\u2019Armstrong di Elswick, relativamente al settore delle artiglierie. L\u2019autonomia produttiva nel campo degli Armamenti era un\u2019importante premessa per uno Stato, al fine di perseguire le proprie ambizioni politiche che nell\u2019et\ue0 degli imperialismi si basavano soprattutto sulla potenza della flotta militare, ossia sulla talassocrazia. In questo senso, la complessit\ue0 dell\u2019oggetto della ricerca e la frammentariet\ue0 delle fonti impongono la definizione di categorie interpretative, essenziali per definire un quadro teorico di riferimento, attraverso cui sintetizzare una pluralit\ue0 d\u2019informazioni, rilevabili da un\u2019ampia variet\ue0 di fonti. Da questo punto di vista, la storiografia italiana sconta la mancanza di uno studio generale del military industrial complex italiano, attraverso cui in quadrare questa pluralit\ue0 di rapporti di fornitura militare, funzionali a definire in modo pi\uf9 articolato tale contesto generale. Le motivazioni di questa mancanza risiedono nella natura metodologica dello studio del military industrial complex. In particolare, l\u2019analisi dei rapporti tra questi contratti di fornitura, rispetto alle relazioni fornitore-cliente, implica l\u2019integrazione di metodologie di ricerca afferenti a branchie diverse della storiografia, come la storia politica, tecnologica, economica, industriale e militare. In generale, si tratta di una premessa indispensabile per affrontare lo studio di una questione essenziale per la storia contemporanea, periodizzante rispetto alla storia moderna, ossia l\u2019organizzazione e l\u2019evoluzione della guerra moderna, basata sullo sviluppo industriale e sul relativo processo d\u2019innovazione tecnologica. Purtroppo, gli specifici obiettivi e le peculiari metodologie e strumenti di ricerca di queste varie componenti della storiografia hanno reso difficile una loro sinergia. Tale mancanza ha inciso negativamente sulla possibilit\ue0 di sviluppare uno studio organico di una macro categoria storiografica, come quella del \u201ccomplesso militare industriale\u201d, anche nel contesto culturale italiano. Per ovviare a questa deficienza, si \ue8 ritenuto opportuno far riferimento a storiografie nazionali molto pi\uf9 consolidate su questo argomento, come quelle anglosassoni che hanno registrato un forte interesse delle scienze sociali, come la sociologia e l\u2019economia, per questo tipo di studi. In questo senso si \ue8 utilizzata un\u2019analisi comparata di alcuni studi storiografici, relativi a tre casi europei coevi di military industrial complex, come quello della Gran Bretagna, della Russia e della Germania che rappresentano tre Stati imperialisti, con un diverso grado di sviluppo industriale. Attraverso il confronto dello sviluppo dell\u2019industria bellica e dei suoi rapporti con le forze armate italiane, con l\u2019evoluzione di questi tre military industrial complex, \ue8 stato possibile sia collocare il military industrial complex italiano a livello internazionale sia offrire un contributo storiografico per definirne la natura. Lo studio della storiografia internazionale si \ue8 concentrato su quelle ricerche che hanno proposto un approccio revisionista rispetto la teoria del merchant of death, ossia una teoria che prese forma tra gli inizi del Novecento e gli anni Trenta, secondo cui la spesa militare era improduttiva e le politiche estere e di spesa militare dei governi erano eterodirette da gruppi economici legati al commercio delle armi. La scelta s\u2019inquadra in un indirizzo storiografico, affermatosi tra gli anni \u201960 e \u201970, legato agli studi di storia d\u2019impresa di Clevin Trebilcock che hanno messo in forte discussione questi assunti della storiografia precedente. In effetti, anche lo studio di caso in questione conferma l\u2019indirizzo storiografico generale attuale, relativamente all\u2019et\ue0 degli imperialismi, secondo cui era lo Stato a condizionare le strategie di mercato dei suoi fornitori, attraverso l\u2019assegnazione di commesse, pur dovendosi adattare alle innovazioni proposte dal mercato, mentre le imprese private non erano in grado di condizionarne n\ue9 la politica militare n\ue9 quella estera. Dalle fonti storiche e storiografiche analizzate \ue8 emerso come parte della classe dirigente italiana considerasse importanti questi grandi stabilimenti che producevano Armamenti, per via del gettito fiscale che essi generavano per lo Stato e per gli enti locali e per i benefici che derivavano dalla loro attivit\ue0 industriale, sia per l\u2019indotto sia per lo sviluppo economico in generale. In questo periodo, lo sviluppo tecnologico degli Armamenti navali, rispetto a quelli terrestri, fu pi\uf9 intenso e implic\uf2 maggiori capitali di rischio, come nel caso delle dreadnought. Di conseguenza, i rapporti tra industria privata e marine militari furono pi\uf9 stretti e precoci, rispetto alle relazioni commerciali tra fornitori privati ed eserciti. In tal senso si comprende come i rapporti commerciali tra l\u2019Armstrong di Pozzuoli e la Regia marina assumono un\u2019ottica di studio privilegiata. In conclusione, questa ricerca pilota sulla nascita del military industrial complex italiano pu\uf2 offrire interessanti considerazioni di carattere metodologico a chi si occupa di questo tipo di studi.The thesis represents a case study regarding the birth of the Italian military industrial complex, from the mid-1880s up to the eve of the Great War. The study treats the commercial relations between an Italian subsidiary of a big English company, Armstrong of Elswick, and the Italian navy. The subsidiary produced ordnance and its establishment was at Pozzuoli, a village near Naples. The methodology of research here offers a different point of view from traditional business histories; it considers mainly the internal strategy of a company and relations with its external environment. In particular, the research gives equal importance to the seller and the customer, in order to understand their intentions and behavior, about the market and the political context. The specific topic of the thesis is the study of the contracts between the Armstrong of Pozzuoli and the Italian navy, and the relative business correspondence. In this way, the industrial politics of the Navy (i.e., the building of a modern national Armaments industry) and the Italian marketing strategy of Armstrong of Elswick are both explored. The ordnance market was very important in the age of empires, because the imperialist aspirations of many states were based on the power of a military fleet, which represented for them the most important military logistic instrument to achieve their imperialistic aims. In this international political context, it was very important for a country to independently produce its own weapons and the large battleships were the most prestigious weapons at that time. For this reason, in the mid-eighties of 19th century, the Italian navy asked for help to the Armstrong of Elswick to implant a production of large naval ordnances in Italy, because the English company was the most important manufacturer of naval guns for battleships in the world. This work starts by defining a historiographical framework to describe these government/business trade relationships. The problem is there were not that many systematic and general studies about the Italian military industrial complex. To address this lack, it was necessary to employ the foreign historiography concerning the birth of British, German and Russian national military industrial complexes. By approaching the Italian case comparatively, it was possible to place Italy\u2019s military-industrial-complex position in the wider context of Europe\u2019s Armament industries and international politics. These three national cases were ranked differently in terms of industrial development. The \u201ctheory of the merchants of death,\u201d which was born during the Belle \uc9poque, considers military expenditure as a waste of money and the military and foreign policies of various national governments as being influenced by lobbyists from the Armament industries. The English historian, Clevin Trebilcock called into discussion the assumptions of this theory. Since the mid-sixties, in his essays and books regarding the age of empire, Trebilcock claimed that the development of Armaments industry could have positive effects on economic growth and increase tax revenue, too. He claimed also the state could condition the marketing strategy of the enterprises, through the assignment of arms orders, whereas the firms couldn\u2019t condition the military and foreign policies of various national governments. This case study confirms this point of view, with respect to the positive effects of arms production on taxation and the local economic development. In addition, the results of the research confirm the balance of power between the State and the arms companies described by Trebilcock. In short, this case study about the contracts between an arms manufacturer and the Italian navy and the relative business correspondence can offer some interesting methodological considerations for those who study the military-industrial complexes

  • I cannoni del re: l'industria Armstrong in Italia (1885-1914)
    2014
    Co-Authors: Michele Pavino
    Abstract:

    La tesi di dottorato si occupa di uno studio di caso, relativo alla nascita del military industrial complex italiano, tra la metà degli anni ’80 dell’Ottocento e la vigilia della Grande Guerra. In particolare, la tesi affronta lo studio delle relazioni commerciali tra la filiale italiana di una grande industria di Armamenti, l’inglese Armstrong di Elswick, e la Regia Marina. La filiale italiana consisteva in uno stabilimento che produceva artiglierie collocato a Pozzuoli, vicino Napoli. Rispetto la tradizionale storia d’impresa, incentrata sullo studio delle strategie interne delle industrie e dei relativi rapporti con l’ambiente circostante, la tesi in oggetto propone una metodologia di studio che punta a porre sullo stesso piano cliente e fornitore, ossia a comprenderne le reciproche intenzioni e comportamenti, rispetto al mercato e al contesto politico contemporaneo. L’oggetto privilegiato di questo studio è rappresentato dai contratti di fornitura e dalle relative relazioni tra cliente e fornitore che contribuiscono a conferire senso al significato di questi accordi. E’ proprio attraverso un’analisi ermeneutica dei rapporti tra contratti e relazioni cliente-fornitore è possibile contribuire a definire la politica industriale delle Regia marina e la strategia di mercato dell’Armstrong di Elswick, relativamente al settore delle artiglierie. L’autonomia produttiva nel campo degli Armamenti era un’importante premessa per uno Stato, al fine di perseguire le proprie ambizioni politiche che nell’età degli imperialismi si basavano soprattutto sulla potenza della flotta militare, ossia sulla talassocrazia. In questo senso, la complessità dell’oggetto della ricerca e la frammentarietà delle fonti impongono la definizione di categorie interpretative, essenziali per definire un quadro teorico di riferimento, attraverso cui sintetizzare una pluralità d’informazioni, rilevabili da un’ampia varietà di fonti. Da questo punto di vista, la storiografia italiana sconta la mancanza di uno studio generale del military industrial complex italiano, attraverso cui in quadrare questa pluralità di rapporti di fornitura militare, funzionali a definire in modo più articolato tale contesto generale. Le motivazioni di questa mancanza risiedono nella natura metodologica dello studio del military industrial complex. In particolare, l’analisi dei rapporti tra questi contratti di fornitura, rispetto alle relazioni fornitore-cliente, implica l’integrazione di metodologie di ricerca afferenti a branchie diverse della storiografia, come la storia politica, tecnologica, economica, industriale e militare. In generale, si tratta di una premessa indispensabile per affrontare lo studio di una questione essenziale per la storia contemporanea, periodizzante rispetto alla storia moderna, ossia l’organizzazione e l’evoluzione della guerra moderna, basata sullo sviluppo industriale e sul relativo processo d’innovazione tecnologica. Purtroppo, gli specifici obiettivi e le peculiari metodologie e strumenti di ricerca di queste varie componenti della storiografia hanno reso difficile una loro sinergia. Tale mancanza ha inciso negativamente sulla possibilità di sviluppare uno studio organico di una macro categoria storiografica, come quella del “complesso militare industriale”, anche nel contesto culturale italiano. Per ovviare a questa deficienza, si è ritenuto opportuno far riferimento a storiografie nazionali molto più consolidate su questo argomento, come quelle anglosassoni che hanno registrato un forte interesse delle scienze sociali, come la sociologia e l’economia, per questo tipo di studi. In questo senso si è utilizzata un’analisi comparata di alcuni studi storiografici, relativi a tre casi europei coevi di military industrial complex, come quello della Gran Bretagna, della Russia e della Germania che rappresentano tre Stati imperialisti, con un diverso grado di sviluppo industriale. Attraverso il confronto dello sviluppo dell’industria bellica e dei suoi rapporti con le forze armate italiane, con l’evoluzione di questi tre military industrial complex, è stato possibile sia collocare il military industrial complex italiano a livello internazionale sia offrire un contributo storiografico per definirne la natura. Lo studio della storiografia internazionale si è concentrato su quelle ricerche che hanno proposto un approccio revisionista rispetto la teoria del merchant of death, ossia una teoria che prese forma tra gli inizi del Novecento e gli anni Trenta, secondo cui la spesa militare era improduttiva e le politiche estere e di spesa militare dei governi erano eterodirette da gruppi economici legati al commercio delle armi. La scelta s’inquadra in un indirizzo storiografico, affermatosi tra gli anni ’60 e ’70, legato agli studi di storia d’impresa di Clevin Trebilcock che hanno messo in forte discussione questi assunti della storiografia precedente. In effetti, anche lo studio di caso in questione conferma l’indirizzo storiografico generale attuale, relativamente all’età degli imperialismi, secondo cui era lo Stato a condizionare le strategie di mercato dei suoi fornitori, attraverso l’assegnazione di commesse, pur dovendosi adattare alle innovazioni proposte dal mercato, mentre le imprese private non erano in grado di condizionarne né la politica militare né quella estera. Dalle fonti storiche e storiografiche analizzate è emerso come parte della classe dirigente italiana considerasse importanti questi grandi stabilimenti che producevano Armamenti, per via del gettito fiscale che essi generavano per lo Stato e per gli enti locali e per i benefici che derivavano dalla loro attività industriale, sia per l’indotto sia per lo sviluppo economico in generale. In questo periodo, lo sviluppo tecnologico degli Armamenti navali, rispetto a quelli terrestri, fu più intenso e implicò maggiori capitali di rischio, come nel caso delle dreadnought. Di conseguenza, i rapporti tra industria privata e marine militari furono più stretti e precoci, rispetto alle relazioni commerciali tra fornitori privati ed eserciti. In tal senso si comprende come i rapporti commerciali tra l’Armstrong di Pozzuoli e la Regia marina assumono un’ottica di studio privilegiata. In conclusione, questa ricerca pilota sulla nascita del military industrial complex italiano può offrire interessanti considerazioni di carattere metodologico a chi si occupa di questo tipo di studi.The thesis represents a case study regarding the birth of the Italian military industrial complex, from the mid-1880s up to the eve of the Great War. The study treats the commercial relations between an Italian subsidiary of a big English company, Armstrong of Elswick, and the Italian navy. The subsidiary produced ordnance and its establishment was at Pozzuoli, a village near Naples. The methodology of research here offers a different point of view from traditional business histories; it considers mainly the internal strategy of a company and relations with its external environment. In particular, the research gives equal importance to the seller and the customer, in order to understand their intentions and behavior, about the market and the political context. The specific topic of the thesis is the study of the contracts between the Armstrong of Pozzuoli and the Italian navy, and the relative business correspondence. In this way, the industrial politics of the Navy (i.e., the building of a modern national Armaments industry) and the Italian marketing strategy of Armstrong of Elswick are both explored. The ordnance market was very important in the age of empires, because the imperialist aspirations of many states were based on the power of a military fleet, which represented for them the most important military logistic instrument to achieve their imperialistic aims. In this international political context, it was very important for a country to independently produce its own weapons and the large battleships were the most prestigious weapons at that time. For this reason, in the mid-eighties of 19th century, the Italian navy asked for help to the Armstrong of Elswick to implant a production of large naval ordnances in Italy, because the English company was the most important manufacturer of naval guns for battleships in the world. This work starts by defining a historiographical framework to describe these government/business trade relationships. The problem is there were not that many systematic and general studies about the Italian military industrial complex. To address this lack, it was necessary to employ the foreign historiography concerning the birth of British, German and Russian national military industrial complexes. By approaching the Italian case comparatively, it was possible to place Italy’s military-industrial-complex position in the wider context of Europe’s Armament industries and international politics. These three national cases were ranked differently in terms of industrial development. The “theory of the merchants of death,” which was born during the Belle Époque, considers military expenditure as a waste of money and the military and foreign policies of various national governments as being influenced by lobbyists from the Armament industries. The English historian, Clevin Trebilcock called into discussion the assumptions of this theory. Since the mid-sixties, in his essays and books regarding the age of empire, Trebilcock claimed that the development of Armaments industry could have positive effects on economic growth and increase tax revenue, too. He claimed also the state could condition the marketing strategy of the enterprises, through the assignment of arms orders, whereas the firms couldn’t condition the military and foreign policies of various national governments. This case study confirms this point of view, with respect to the positive effects of arms production on taxation and the local economic development. In addition, the results of the research confirm the balance of power between the State and the arms companies described by Trebilcock. In short, this case study about the contracts between an arms manufacturer and the Italian navy and the relative business correspondence can offer some interesting methodological considerations for those who study the military-industrial complexes

Massimo Morelli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • strategic militarization deterrence and wars
    Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 2009
    Co-Authors: Matthew O Jackson, Massimo Morelli
    Abstract:

    We study countries choosing Armament levels and then whether or not to go to war. We show that if the costs of war are not overly high or low, then all equilibria must involve dove, hawk, and deterrent strategies and the probability of war is positive (but less than one) in any given period. Wars are between countries with differing Armament levels and the frequency of wars is tempered by the presence of Armament levels that are expressly chosen for their deterrent properties. As the probability of winning a war becomes more reactive to increased Armament, the frequency of wars decreases. As it becomes increasingly possible to negotiate a credible settlement, the probability of peace increases, but the variance of Armament levels increases and war becomes increasingly likely when negotiations break down.

  • strategic militarization deterrence and wars
    Social Science Research Network, 2008
    Co-Authors: Matthew O Jackson, Massimo Morelli
    Abstract:

    We study countries choosing Armament levels and then whether or not to go to war. We show that if the costs of war are not overly high or low, then all equilibria must involve "dove," "hawk," and "deterrent" strategies and the probability of war is positive (but less than one) in any given period. Wars are between countries with differing Armament levels and the frequency of wars is tempered by the presence of Armament levels that are expressly chosen for their deterrent properties. As the probability of winning a war becomes more reactive to increased Armament, the frequency of wars decreases. Finally, as it becomes increasingly possible to negotiate a credible settlement, the probability of peace increases, but the variance of Armament levels increases and war becomes increasingly likely when negotiation is not available. This matches observed patterns in the data over time.

Lindsay E. Zanno - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • ArbourZanno_ESM8_discrete_results.xlsx from The evolution of tail weaponization in amniotes
    2018
    Co-Authors: Victoria M. Arbour, Lindsay E. Zanno
    Abstract:

    Weaponry, for the purpose of intraspecific combat or predator defence, is one of the most widespread animal adaptations, yet the selective pressures and constraints governing its phenotypic diversity and skeletal regionalization are not well understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of tail weaponry in amniotes, a rare form of weaponry that nonetheless evolved independently among a broad spectrum of life including mammals, turtles and dinosaurs. Using comparative methods, we test for links between morphology, ecology and behaviour in extant amniotes known to use the tail as a weapon, and in extinct taxa bearing osseous tail Armaments. We find robust ecological and morphological correlates of both tail lashing behaviour and bony tail weaponry, including large body size, body armour and herbivory, suggesting these life-history parameters factor into the evolution of antipredator behaviours and tail Armaments. We suggest that the evolution of tail weaponry is rare because large, armoured herbivores are uncommon in extant terrestrial faunas, as they have been throughout evolutionary history

  • ArbourZanno_ESM6_agedata.xlsx from The evolution of tail weaponization in amniotes
    2018
    Co-Authors: Victoria M. Arbour, Lindsay E. Zanno
    Abstract:

    Weaponry, for the purpose of intraspecific combat or predator defence, is one of the most widespread animal adaptations, yet the selective pressures and constraints governing its phenotypic diversity and skeletal regionalization are not well understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of tail weaponry in amniotes, a rare form of weaponry that nonetheless evolved independently among a broad spectrum of life including mammals, turtles and dinosaurs. Using comparative methods, we test for links between morphology, ecology and behaviour in extant amniotes known to use the tail as a weapon, and in extinct taxa bearing osseous tail Armaments. We find robust ecological and morphological correlates of both tail lashing behaviour and bony tail weaponry, including large body size, body armour and herbivory, suggesting these life-history parameters factor into the evolution of antipredator behaviours and tail Armaments. We suggest that the evolution of tail weaponry is rare because large, armoured herbivores are uncommon in extant terrestrial faunas, as they have been throughout evolutionary history

  • ArbourZanno_ESM7_pairwise_comparisons_results.xlsx from The evolution of tail weaponization in amniotes
    2018
    Co-Authors: Victoria M. Arbour, Lindsay E. Zanno
    Abstract:

    Weaponry, for the purpose of intraspecific combat or predator defence, is one of the most widespread animal adaptations, yet the selective pressures and constraints governing its phenotypic diversity and skeletal regionalization are not well understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of tail weaponry in amniotes, a rare form of weaponry that nonetheless evolved independently among a broad spectrum of life including mammals, turtles and dinosaurs. Using comparative methods, we test for links between morphology, ecology and behaviour in extant amniotes known to use the tail as a weapon, and in extinct taxa bearing osseous tail Armaments. We find robust ecological and morphological correlates of both tail lashing behaviour and bony tail weaponry, including large body size, body armour and herbivory, suggesting these life-history parameters factor into the evolution of antipredator behaviours and tail Armaments. We suggest that the evolution of tail weaponry is rare because large, armoured herbivores are uncommon in extant terrestrial faunas, as they have been throughout evolutionary history

  • ArbourZanno_ESM10_contingency_results.xlsx from The evolution of tail weaponization in amniotes
    2018
    Co-Authors: Victoria M. Arbour, Lindsay E. Zanno
    Abstract:

    Weaponry, for the purpose of intraspecific combat or predator defence, is one of the most widespread animal adaptations, yet the selective pressures and constraints governing its phenotypic diversity and skeletal regionalization are not well understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of tail weaponry in amniotes, a rare form of weaponry that nonetheless evolved independently among a broad spectrum of life including mammals, turtles and dinosaurs. Using comparative methods, we test for links between morphology, ecology and behaviour in extant amniotes known to use the tail as a weapon, and in extinct taxa bearing osseous tail Armaments. We find robust ecological and morphological correlates of both tail lashing behaviour and bony tail weaponry, including large body size, body armour and herbivory, suggesting these life-history parameters factor into the evolution of antipredator behaviours and tail Armaments. We suggest that the evolution of tail weaponry is rare because large, armoured herbivores are uncommon in extant terrestrial faunas, as they have been throughout evolutionary history

Edward Troiano - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.