Several groups of temnospondyls have large bony plates on their backs . One temnospondyl , Peltobatrachus , has armour @-@ like plating that covers both its back and underside . The temnospondyl Laidleria also has extensive plating on its back . Most members of the family Dissorophidae also have armor , although it only covers the midline of the back with two narrow rows of plates . Other temnospondyls , such as Eryops , have been found with small , disc @-@ like bony scutes that were in life probably embedded in the skin . All of these temnospondyls were adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle . Armor may have offered protection from predators in the case of Peltobatrachus . The scutes may have provided stability for the spine , as they would have limited flexibility and may have been connected by strong ligaments . Temnospondyls such as Sclerothorax and Eryops that may have been at least partly terrestrial also have long neural spines on top of their vertebrae that would have stabilized the spine . Bony scutes are also seen in plagiosaurs , but unlike Peltobatrachus , Laidleria , Eryops , and dissorophids , these animals are thought to have been fully aquatic . Plagiosaurs may have inherited their armor from a terrestrial ancestor , as both Peltobatrachus and Laidleria have been considered close relatives of the group .