A taxonomic group or class of aquatic animals possessing temporary or caducous gills that are shed during metamorphosis.
From caducus (falling) + branchia (gill) + -ata (Latin nominative plural feminine suffix indicating a group). A term from 19th-century zoological classification.
This fancy Latin term essentially means 'creatures that drop their gills'—salamanders and frogs belong here, and scientists use it to group animals by how they change, not just shape!
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