An animal that lacks an amnion, particularly fish and amphibians, whose embryos develop in water without the protective membrane found in reptiles and mammals.
From 'an-' (without) + 'amnion' (a protective membrane surrounding the embryo) + '-ote' (organism). Coined in zoological taxonomy to distinguish animals lacking this embryonic structure.
The evolution of the amnion was a game-changer—it let vertebrates finally reproduce completely on land without needing to return to water. Fish and frogs are 'anamniotes' because they're evolutionary throwbacks to when all vertebrates had to lay eggs in water.
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