During the Carboniferous Period some 300 million years ago, amphibians multiplied rapidly and developed into many different forms. All of these amphibians were predators, feeding on insects, spiders and other land animals, and probably on each other.

They were mostly shaped like salamanders, with long, flexible bodies and short legs, and they probably all lived near water.

A few amphibians returned to the water and became completely aquatic, although they managed to retain some of the adaptations they developed to survive on land. Some had huge armored heads, and a few lost the use of their limbs. These amphibians probably had a moist, smooth skin like their modern relatives, but some may have had scaly skin. They were much larger than surviving amphibians, and some reached more than 2 m long.

Early fish, related to the surviving coelacanth, began to creep out of the water about 400 million years ago. This may have been to seek new food sources, or to escape from aquatic predators. As they evolved into amphibians, they developed lungs and their fins gradually changed into limbs.

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Tags: insects, predators, amphibians

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Category: Education  - ( Education Archive)

Date Added: 15 December '11

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