A reader asks “Why do amphibians have to be near water or in a very wet habitat?”

Well not all amphibians live near water.

There are toads that live in the desert. but frogs have extremely sensitive skin and they can get some of their moisture through their skin, plus as you probably know, frogs have adapted to water ie webbed feet, ability to stay under water for long periods of time, etc so it would make sense for them to live near water so they can use it!

Another reasons why most amphibians live near water is because some of them lay eggs in water. In the case of frogs the eggs hatch in the water as tadpoles. Water habitats also contain lots of insects and frogs, toads and most other amphibians love to eat insects.

See the comments below for more good answers to this question.