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The snake, now, is creepy! Mainly because it lost its legs at the same time that its forefathers adapted to hunt in burrows.

It was thought earlier that snakes lost their limbs to adapt to the sea.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh  made a new analysis of a 90-million-year-old reptile skull to find out how snakes became limbless. With the help of CT scans of the fossil and comparisons with modern reptiles, the team found out.

"How snakes lost their legs has long been a mystery to scientists, but it seems that this happened when their ancestors became adept at burrowing," Hongyu Yi, a member of the research team, said in a press release. "The inner ears of fossils can reveal a remarkable amount of information, and are very useful when the exterior of fossils are too damaged or fragile to examine."

The study used CT scans to analyze the inner ear of the Dinilysia patagonica, which was a species of reptile related closely to modern snakes, according to the study.

With the help of 3-D virtual models, scientists made a comparison of the inner ears of the fossils with those of modern snakes and lizards, which made them discover a structure in the inner ear of animals that enable them to burrow. This is an adaptation that helps burrowers to identify prey and predators.

It is not located in modern snakes that exist on water as well as on the earth's surface.

"This discovery would not have been possible a decade ago - CT scanning has revolutionised how we can study ancient animals," said Mark Norell, co-author of the study. "We hope similar studies can shed light on the evolution of more species, including lizards, crocodiles and turtles."

Hence, scientists have discovered the evolution of the snake, which strengthens the belief that the Dinilysia patagonica is the "largest burrowing snake currently known". It also gives some solutions to speculations regarding the ancestral species of modern snakes.