title: Marine animal behaviour: neglecting ocean currents can lead us up the wrong track.
abstract: Tracks of marine animals in the wild, now increasingly acquired by electronic tagging of individuals, are of prime interest not only to identify habitats and high-risk areas, but also to gain detailed information about the behaviour of these animals. Using recent satellite-derived current estimates and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) tracking data, we demonstrate that oceanic currents, usually neglected when analysing tracking data, can substantially distort the observed trajectories. Consequently, this will affect several important results deduced from the analysis of tracking data, such as the evaluation of the orientation skills and the energy budget of animals or the identification of foraging areas. We conclude that currents should be systematically taken into account to ensure the unbiased interpretation of tracking data, which now play a major role in marine conservation biology.
authors.affiliation: Collecte Localisation Satellites, Direction Océanographie Spatiale, 8-10 rue Hermès, 31520 Ramonville, France. philippe.gaspar@cls.fr
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Georges
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fossette
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenoble
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferraroli
authors.forename: Yvon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Maho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017753:Ecosystem; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D013550:Swimming; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*; D014872:Water Movements