Venomous snakes have long been the subject of tall tales and backyard lore. But how much of what you’ve heard is fact — and how much is fiction? This is not always true. Yes, even venomous snakes can ...

Most people’s mental snake-ID kit in the yard comes down to a couple of half-remembered rules: “triangular head means venomous,” “round pupils mean safe,” or some color rhyme they learned as a kid.