Which terrestrial vertebrate group is extremely rare in deserts?
Amphibians are terrestrial vertebrates extremely rare in desert environments (although there are a some species adapted to this type of ecosystem). Amphibians are rare in deserts because they do not have a permeable skin and so they simply lose water by evaporation and desiccate. They also require an aquatic environment to reproduce, as their fecundation is external and their larva is water-dependent.