Most male ungulates never reproduce because weapon costs are so extreme

Evidence

Fallow deer and moose pay exorbitantly for their weapons, and for the stamina and energy needed to win fights during the rut, suffering gashes, infections, and depleted energy reserves. Above: Three-quarters of fallow deer bucks die without ever succeeding in defending territories, and 90 percent fail to mate even once in their lifetime. Below: Bull moose double their daily energetic demands while growing antlers, and a third die from injuries sustained during combat. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 963

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Some elaborate animal weapons are astonishingly cheap to produce and carry; Weapon-bearing male deer pay extreme costs and most never mate; Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 326 (+7 more)

Related

• Weapon-bearing male deer pay extreme costs and most never mate (similarity 0.96)
• Some elaborate animal weapons are astonishingly cheap to produce and carry (similarity 0.90)
• Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons (similarity 0.87)
• Predation risk is a near-universal cost of elaborate weapons (similarity 0.87)
• Big weapons only benefit males with the reserves to wield them effectively (similarity 0.86)
• Reproductive success, not survival, drives the largest animal weapons (similarity 0.85)
• Poor-quality males pay steeper costs for large weapons and so invest less (similarity 0.85)
• Weapon costliness keeps signals honest by excluding weaker males (similarity 0.85)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.85)
• Cheating males erode the reproductive payoff of weapons, capping their evolution (similarity 0.84)
• Competition for reproduction drives evolution of nature’s biggest weapons (similarity 0.84)
• Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males. (similarity 0.83)
• Sexual selection drives weapons to extremes because payoffs for winners are enormous. (similarity 0.82)
• Weapon escalation ends when costs outweigh benefits and cheaters invade (similarity 0.82)
• Bigger weapons usually fail because their costs outweigh their benefits (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs #expands (0.80) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 199
• Animal weapons evolved to extremes far beyond practical size #corroborates (0.65) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 2
• Cheating males erode the reproductive payoff of weapons, capping their evolution #complicates (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 851
• Sexual selection can be far stronger than natural selection and drives weapon extremes #corroborates (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 177
• Competition for reproduction drives evolution of nature’s biggest weapons #corroborates (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 136
• Predation risk is a near-universal cost of elaborate weapons #expands (0.55) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 307