Editing Carboniferous (section)

===Tetrapods===
Carboniferous [[amphibian]]s were diverse and common by the middle of the period, more so than they are today; some were as long as 6 meters, and those fully terrestrial as adults had scaly skin.{{sfn|Stanley|1999|pp=411–412}} They included basal tetrapod groups classified in early books under the [[Labyrinthodont]]ia. These had a long body, a head covered with bony plates, and generally weak or undeveloped limbs.{{sfn|Howe|1911|p=312}} The largest were over 2 meters long. They were accompanied by an assemblage of smaller amphibians included under the [[Lepospondyli]], often only about {{convert|15|cm|0|abbr=on}} long. Some Carboniferous amphibians were aquatic and lived in rivers (''[[Loxomma]]'', ''[[Eogyrinus]]'', ''[[Proterogyrinus]]''); others may have been semi-aquatic (''[[Ophiderpeton]]'', ''[[Amphibamus]]'', ''[[Hyloplesion]]'') or terrestrial (''[[Dendrerpeton]]'', ''[[Tuditanus]]'', ''[[Anthracosaurus]]'').

The Carboniferous rainforest collapse slowed the evolution of amphibians who could not survive as well in the cooler, drier conditions. Amniotes, however, prospered because of specific key adaptations.{{sfn|Sahney|Benton|Falcon-Lang|2010}} One of the greatest evolutionary innovations of the Carboniferous was the amniote egg, which allowed the laying of eggs in a dry environment, as well as keratinized scales and claws, allowing for the further exploitation of the land by certain [[tetrapod]]s. These included the earliest [[Sauropsida|sauropsid]] reptiles (''[[Hylonomus]]''), and the earliest known [[synapsid]] (''[[Archaeothyris]]''). Synapsids quickly became huge and diversified in the Permian, only for their dominance to stop during the Mesozoic. Sauropsids (reptiles, and also, later, birds) also diversified but remained small until the Mesozoic, during which they dominated the land, as well as the water and sky, only for their dominance to stop during the Cenozoic.

Reptiles underwent a major evolutionary radiation in response to the drier climate that preceded the rainforest collapse.{{sfn|Sahney|Benton|Falcon-Lang|2010}}{{sfn|Kazlev|1998}} By the end of the Carboniferous amniotes had already diversified into a number of groups, including several families of synapsid [[pelycosaur]]s, [[Protorothyrididae|protorothyridids]], [[captorhinidae|captorhinids]], [[sauria]]ns and [[Araeoscelidia|araeoscelid]]s.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Pederpes2223DB.jpg|The [[amphibian]]-like ''[[Pederpes]]'', the most primitive tetrapod found in the [[Mississippian age|Mississippian]], and known from Scotland.
File:Hylonomus BW.jpg|''[[Hylonomus]]'', the earliest sauropsid [[reptile]], appeared in the [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]], and is known from the [[Joggins Formation]] in Nova Scotia, and possibly [[New Brunswick]].
File:Petrolacosaurus BW.jpg|''[[Petrolacosaurus]]'', the earliest known [[diapsid]] reptile, lived during the late Carboniferous.
File:Archaeothyris BW.jpg|''[[Archaeothyris]]'' is the oldest known [[synapsid]], and is found in rocks from [[Nova Scotia]].
File:Coloraderpeton.jpg|''[[Coloraderpeton]]'' was a [[snake]]-like [[aïstopod]] [[Tetrapodomorpha|tetrapodomorph]] from the late Carboniferous of [[Colorado]].
File:Crassigyrinus BW.jpg|''[[Crassigyrinus]]'' was a carnivorous stem-tetrapod from the [[Viséan|early Carboniferous]] of Scotland.
File:Microbrachis pelikani.png|''[[Microbrachis]]'' was a [[Lepospondyli|lepospondyl]] amphibian known from the [[Czech Republic]].
File:Amphibamus BW.jpg|''[[Amphibamus]]'' was a [[Dissorophoidea|dissorophoid]] [[Temnospondyli|temnospondyl]] from the late Carboniferous of [[Illinois]].
</gallery>