Okay, sometimes my blog images scare me a little. This is another one of those times.

I have good news for you. Contrary to what you might have heard, there’s no such thing as a “poisonous” snake.

But here’s the bad news, this doesn’t make your next romp through leaf piles in the woods any safer.

Remember:

• “Poisonous” means something that causes illness or death if eaten, touched, or inhaled.
• “Venomous” means something that injects venom into another creature, most commonly through a bite or a sting.

The key difference here is that idea of injection. Snakes aren’t poisonous to the touch, if eaten (um… yikes?), or if inhaled (yeah, no clue why you’re sniffing snakes). It’s their venom that is dangerous. Hence, snakes can be venomous, not poisonous.

Admittedly, only ten percent of snakes are venomous, so maybe we all shouldn’t be as nervous around the slithering, fork-tongued creatures as we often are—though, if you ask me, I’ll still be steering clear of any that come across my path—whether or not they’re poisonous, whether or not they’re venomous, whether or not they’re offering apples, whether or not their bites are actually exacting (or extracting?) revenge. Too far? Honestly, I’m not sure you can convince me otherwise.