Middle-Aged Temnospondyls

Thanks to the diversification of the reptiles, the terrestrial temnospondyls were wiped out during the Triassic. However the aquatic and semi-aquatic forms continued to flourish and deversify. These forms eventually became more reliant on the water. Some species probably hardly ever left the water at all. The group diversified quite massively, even invading completely new niches e.g. the trematosaurs. The trematosaurs are the only know amphibians, except for one species of frog, to adapt to life in a marine environment. The group differed not only in size but also in the way they caught their prey. Some used crocodile like snouts to catch their prey, while some (e.g. Capitosauroidea) sucked prey into their huge mouths by opening their mouths quickly and sucking both prey and water in.

---