are snakes capable of allegory?

the other night, we discovered steve the snake in a decidedly surprising position. he had recently shed, and because i like to disturb him as little as possible when he’s about to/in process of/just finishing a shed, i hadn’t yet taken the old skin out of the tank. and then…

he crawled back into his own skin, wearing it in the opposite direction.

i can think of no instinctual or beneficial purpose for this behavior. and so i ask, are snakes capable of allegory? of course i was prompted to recall the many instances, thankfully most of them in the pre-teen years and somewhat softened by distance, in which i wanted to crawl out of my skin. have new skin. turn my skin inside out. not have any skin showing at all.

and i wonder how many skins i’ve had, and if i would fit, or want to fit, in an old one. and i wonder what kind of brains and thoughts snakes have. does steve remember being a baby? does he remember when he last ate or only notice if he’s hungry? does he really remember who i am? does it matter?

he crawled back into his own skin…