London, Nov 29 (IANS): When and how did snakes lose their limbs? A fresh analysis of a reptile fossil is helping scientists solve this evolutionary puzzle.

A 90 million-year-old skull is giving researchers vital clues about how snakes evolved. Comparisons between CT scans of the fossil and modern reptiles indicate that snakes lost their legs when their ancestors evolved to live and hunt in burrows, which many snakes still do today.

"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," said lead researcher Hongyu Yi from University of Edinburgh.

The findings show snakes did not lose their limbs in order to live in the sea, as was previously suggested.

Scientists used CT scans to examine the bony inner ear of Dinilysia patagonica, a 2-metre long reptile closely linked to modern snakes.

These bony canals and cavities, like those in the ears of modern burrowing snakes, controlled its hearing and balance.

They built 3D virtual models to compare the inner ears of the fossils with those of modern lizards and snakes.

Researchers found a distinctive structure within the inner ear of animals that actively burrow, which may help them detect prey and predators.

This shape was not present in modern snakes that live in water or above ground.

The findings help scientists fill gaps in the story of snake evolution, and confirm Dinilysia patagonica as the largest burrowing snake ever known.

They also offer clues about a hypothetical ancestral species from which all modern snakes descended, which was likely a burrower.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.