If worm snakes belong to a lineage that split off very early, what might their fossorial morphology represent instead of recent specialization?

Answer

A retention of ancestral traits favoring fossorial life

There is ongoing scientific discussion regarding the exact placement of certain snake groups, such as the Scolecophidia (blind snakes), which are morphologically similar in some ways to worm snakes, potentially splitting off very early. If the lineage leading to worm snakes separated before the major radiation event that produced most terrestrial and marine snakes, their worm-like appearance and adaptations for digging might not be a recent modification away from larger snakes. Instead, this morphology could represent a 'retention' of ancestral traits that were already advantageous for fossorial life in those earliest snake ancestors, before the subsequent diversification into other niches occurred.

If worm snakes belong to a lineage that split off very early, what might their fossorial morphology represent instead of recent specialization?

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