during the Devonian period,animals that could live on land began to evolve, these animals till spent part of their lives in the water. what were these animals called?
a) trilobites
b) reptiles
c) amphibians
d) dinosoars
amphibians live part of the time in water and part on land
During the Devonian period, animals that could live on land but still spent part of their lives in the water were called amphibians. To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the characteristics and evolution of different types of animals during the Devonian period.
First, let's eliminate some options:
a) Trilobites: Trilobites were a type of marine arthropod that existed during the Paleozoic era but became extinct before the Devonian period. So, trilobites are not the correct answer.
b) Reptiles: Although reptiles did evolve during the same era as the Devonian period, they were not the first animals to transition from water to land. Reptiles appeared later, during the Carboniferous period. So, reptiles are not the correct answer either.
Now, let's explore the remaining option:
c) Amphibians: Amphibians were the first vertebrates to live on land. They evolved during the Devonian period and were able to breathe air and extract oxygen from water. However, they still required a moist environment to reproduce and develop their larvae. Amphibians include animals such as frogs, toads, and salamanders. Therefore, amphibians are the correct answer to the question.
d) Dinosaurs: Dinosaurs appeared much later than the Devonian period, during the Mesozoic era. They were terrestrial reptiles, but they did not have a stage in their life cycle where they had to live in water. So, dinosaurs are not the correct answer in the context of animals that evolved during the Devonian period.
To sum up, the correct answer is c) amphibians.