Why is water important for amphibians?

            Scientists say that life started in water. It is beyond imagination how life will survive without water. Although amphibians can live both in water and on land, they cannot exist on land alone. For them, water is essential for survival.

            Water keeps their skin moist and they get the oxygen they need from the water as they absorb oxygen through their skin. Water is vital for their reproduction too. The eggs of amphibians do not have a hard shell; and therefore, they need water to keep them from drying out and to protect them from the rays of the Sun.

            Some species of amphibians are aquatic and spend their entire lifetime in water.

Others, such as frogs, spend the beginning of their lives in water as larvae and undergo a change called metamorphosis to move on to land.

            Since water is so important for them, amphibians like frogs seek out damp shady places to live in. others try to prevent water loss by burrowing underground. Although it might seem strange, in spite of being so dependent on water, amphibians rarely drink it.