Scientists have discovered an ancient snake skull dating back to 90 million years in Argentina that provides clues about how snakes eventually lost their legs. 

The common theory for this, is that these reptiles lost their limbs for them to swim better when they used to dwell in water environments. However, this recently uncovered fossil is now suggesting that snake legs were apparently a disadvantage during snake evolution since their ancestors used to hunt for prey in narrow environments.

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With the help of Computed Tomography (CT), researchers carefully examined the snake's inner ear where they found out that the modern day snake's ancient snake cousin known as Dinilysia patagonica, used to possess a distinct structure in their bony canals and cavities for detecting prey and predators. These structures are also now seen on modern day nestling lizards and snakes however, they are missing in snakes who are aquatic or terrestrial ones.

They use their inner ear for balance and hearing, to help them detect prey and predators. This new study determined how the Dinilysia patagonica is the largest burrowing snake to be found at two meters long and this burrowing practice is a predecessor to modern day snake behavior. Modern day crown snakes also originally come from these burrowing snakes.

According to lead author of the study Hongyu Yi of the School of GeoSciences of the University of Edinburgh, it has always been a mystery for scientists how snakes lost their legs however, this seemed to occur during a time when their ancestors became fully adept in burrowing practices. Yi adds how the fossilized inner ears of the snake were crucial evidence even if the fossil's exteriors have become too broken up due to its fragile state. 

According to Mark Norell from the American Museum of Natural History, this snake inner ear fossil discovery would not have been possible 10 years ago as the use of CT scan techniques paved way to the search for ancient fossils of animals. A CT scan is essentially an X-ray type that creates 3D images of skeletal structures including organs in extreme detail.

Scientists hope that more studies will emerge from this discovery, that will shed more light on the evolution of other reptiles such as crocodiles, lizards and turtles. This new study is published in the journal, Science Advances. 

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