Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
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 Amphibian & Reptile Conservation facts

• Modern amphibians are all Lissamphibia
• They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems
• Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this
• The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs
• Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin
• They are superficially similar to lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed
• With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species around the globe
• The earliest amphibians evolved in the Devonian period from sarcopterygian fish with lungs and bony-limbed fins, features that were helpful in adapting to dry land
• They diversified and became dominant during the Carboniferous and Permian periods, but were later displaced by reptiles and other vertebrates
• Over time, amphibians shrank in size and decreased in diversity, leaving only the modern subclass Lissamphibia