Periscoping Behavior and Habitat Use of Juvenile Midland Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis)

Amber L. Pitt^1,* and Joseph J. Tavano¹

¹Environmental Science Program, Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT 06109. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 1 (2026): N1–N3

First published early online: 13 February 2026

Abstract
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis (Midland Watersnake) is a non-venomous, aquatic, primarily piscivorous snake. As they are highly vulnerable to predation, juvenile Watersnakes exhibit rapid growth rates, requiring efficient energy acquisition and adequate thermal conditions for supporting metabolic rates. We observed 2 juvenile Midland Watersnakes exhibiting “periscoping” behavior in a relatively warm, shallow, gravel-bottomed section of a southern Missouri stream. The snakes used the interstitial spaces among the gravel as refugia, then would “periscope” a portion of their bodies into the water column and remain immobile, likely to ambush prey. We suspect this behavior minimized predation risk, while maximizing diurnal foraging in an area with beneficial thermal properties at a life stage typified by rapid growth.

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