What Were The Ancestors Of Modern Amphibians?

Today's amphibians comprise the frogs, toads, salamanders and newts that have a larval stage that is totally aquatic and an adult stage that lives on land.

The earliest known ancestors of these amphibians lived on Earth a massive 350 million years ago, during a period known as the Devonian period. Fossil remains of these oldest amphibians have been found in Greenland, and they are more similar to ancient fish ancestors rather than frogs and toads.

However, even at this early time, the amphibians had evolved changes in their bodies that enabled them to conquer living on land. They had well developed bony limbs that would carry their weight on land. Originally, scientists think that these early amphibians descended from lungfish or lobe fins but it is not clear how the transition between the two occurred as there is no fossil record. The lack of fossils also makes it difficult to show how these ancient amphibians developed during millions of years into more advanced amphibians that more closely resemble the species of today.

Add Comment

Report