What are Giant Amphibians?
Today, most amphibians — such as frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts — are relatively small, usually under 18 cm (7 in) in size. The largest living amphibian, the Chinese Giant Salamander, is significantly larger, and can range up to 1.83 m (6 ft). However, this is very atypical for modern amphibians. A very long time ago, before sophisticated amniotes (animals with eggs that can be laid outside of water) like proto-crocodilian reptiles evolved, amphibians were the dominant tetrapods on Earth, and included the top predators. This time began when amphibians first evolved, in the Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous, about 360 million years ago. Giant amphibians had their heydey in the Carboniferous, and started to experience a decline in the Early Permian, when larger and better reptiles, like pelycosaurs, evolved. They almost went completely extinct at the Permian-Triassic extinction 251 million years ago, but survived in small pockets in what is now Australia and China for up to 120 m
