The first amniote is a tetrapod, a four legged animal, resembling a small lizard.

It is the transportable pond that allows the amniote to lay the egg on dry land.

The new amniote offspring will continue the process of vertebrate evolution as it explores new land away from the water.

But, unlike the walls of a fish tank, the shell of the amniotic egg is porous, allowing oxygen to pass through so that the growing amniote inside doesn't suffocate.