Animals & Nature
amphibian
animal
Category:
Animals & Nature
- Related Topics:
- Gymnophiona
- frog
- toad
- salamander
- Temnospondyli
- On the Web:
- Nature - The evolution of reproductive modes and life cycles in amphibians (Feb. 20, 2024)
Recent News
Mar. 8, 2024, 3:31 AM ET (Earth.com)
Egg-laying amphibian discovered that feeds milk to its young
Mar. 3, 2024, 4:18 AM ET (MSN)
Mystery of common mushroom growing from an amphibian shows how little we know about fungi
amphibian, (class Amphibia), any member of the group of vertebrate animals characterized by their ability to exploit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The name amphibian, derived from the Greek amphibios meaning “living a double life,” reflects this dual life strategy—though some species are permanent land dwellers, while other species have a completely aquatic mode of existence. Approximately 8,100 species of living amphibians are known. First appearing about 340 million years ago during the Middle Mississippian Epoch, they were one of the earliest groups to diverge from ancestral fish-tetrapod stock during the evolution of animals from strictly aquatic forms to terrestrial ...(100 of 6719 words)