The question is, who was running the show in 1964 and then later in 1974 that did not like wild speculations?
They brought this subject up again in the June 15, 2007 watchtower in another question from readers. The title was, "Did the serpent that spoke to Eve have legs?" Here's the watchtower quote:
"The Bible does not specifically state that the animal used in tempting Eve had previously had legs but lost them. While the wording at Genesis 3:14 might lead some to think so, we need not necessarily conclude that prior to this curse, serpent had legs. Why not?"
Then they go on to explain in four paragraphs why this is not so. They did not mention in the article that the society used to believe that it once possessed limbs.
Anyway, look up the biology of the Boa and the Python and you'll see some weird facts.