Similar circling movements observed across marine megafauna taxa.

Advances in biologging technology have enabled 3D dead-reckoning reconstruction of marine animal movements at spatiotemporal scales of meters and seconds. Examining high-resolution 3D movements of sharks ( Galeocerdo cuvier , N = 4; Rhincodon typus , N = 1), sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas , N = 3), penguins ( Aptenodytes patagonicus , N = 6), and marine mammals ( Arctocephalus gazella , N = 4; Ziphius cavirostris , N = 1), we report the discovery of circling events where animals consecutively circled more than twice at relatively constant angular speeds. Similar circling behaviors were observed across a wide variety of marine megafauna, suggesting these behaviors might serve several similar purposes across taxa including foraging, social interactions, and navigation.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2021 The Authors.)