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High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements

Richard M. Gunner Orcid Logo, Rory Wilson Orcid Logo, Miguel Lurgi Rivera Orcid Logo, Luca Borger Orcid Logo, James Redcliffe, Emily Shepard Orcid Logo, Mark Holton Orcid Logo, Margaret C. Crofoot, Abdulaziz Alagaili, Samantha Andrzejaczek Orcid Logo, Daniel Ariano‐Sánchez Orcid Logo, Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard, Nigel C. Bennett, Alice Bernard, Rowan Brown Orcid Logo, Nik Cole, Scott Creel Orcid Logo, Ariovaldo P. Cruz‐Neto, Agustina di Virgilio, Carlos M. Duarte, Christophe Eizaguirre, Kyle H. Elliott, Monika Faltusova, Mathieu Garel, Natasha Gillies, Adrian C. Gleiss, Aoife Göppert Orcid Logo, David Grémillet, Sophie de Grissac, Tim Guilford, Maxime Hoareau, Mark Jessopp, Agustina Gómez‐Laich, Milos Jezek, Sergio A. Lambertucci Orcid Logo, Pascal Marchand Orcid Logo, Nikki Marks, Andréia Martins, Mark Meekan Orcid Logo, Yuichi Mizutani, Rasmus M. Mortensen Orcid Logo, Bradley M. Norman, Josue Ortega, Oliver Padget, Michael Painter, Aurore Ponchon Orcid Logo, Pascal Provost, Aurélien Prudor, Flavio Quintana, Stefanie Reinhardt, Samantha D. Reynolds Orcid Logo, Frank Rosell, Carlos R. Ruiz‐Miranda Orcid Logo, Peter G. Ryan, David M. Scantlebury, Stefan Schoombie, Rebecca Scott, Vaclav Silovsky, Jeroen Steenbeek, Vikash Tatayah, Carole Toïgo, Lucia Torrez, Fred Tremblay, Joshua P. Twining Orcid Logo, Ken Yoda Orcid Logo, Henri Weimerskirch Orcid Logo, Shannon Whelan Orcid Logo, Juan M. Morales Orcid Logo, Jonathan R. Potts Orcid Logo

Ecological Monographs, Volume: 96, Issue: 2, Start page: e70069

Swansea University Authors: Rory Wilson Orcid Logo, Miguel Lurgi Rivera Orcid Logo, Luca Borger Orcid Logo, James Redcliffe, Emily Shepard Orcid Logo, Mark Holton Orcid Logo, Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard, Rowan Brown Orcid Logo, Maxime Hoareau

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/ecm.70069

Abstract

Animal movement paths display substantial complexity and variability, promoting efforts to identify universal rules and models that best describe them. Using high-resolution (≥10 Hz) movement from 43 vertebrate species spanning diverse taxa, body sizes, and lifestyles, we show that paths are univers...

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Published in: Ecological Monographs
ISSN: 0012-9615 1557-7015
Published: Wiley 2026
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Using high-resolution (≥10 Hz) movement from 43 vertebrate species spanning diverse taxa, body sizes, and lifestyles, we show that paths are universally composed of straight-line steps interspersed with sharp turns, echoing patterns documented in lower taxa such as bacteria. We report how vertebrate “fundamental steps”—straight travel segments between successive detected turns (with Fstepduration as the turn-to-turn interval and Fsteplength as the corresponding distance when displacement is available)—and “fundamental turn angles” (Fturnangles; net changes in travel heading between successive steps) vary with species' mass, locomotor mode, behavior, and environment. Here, “fundamental” denotes the finest scale step/turn events resolvable under our sampling rate and turn-detection criteria; these event-scale steps/turns are intrinsically different from the straight-line segments inferred from low-resolution position data. To explain these relationships, we posit that animals inherently move in a straight line until sensory information signals a better heading, triggering a turn. Across all species examined, animals spent the vast majority of their travel time moving in straight lines (species-level means &gt;90%), with turns representing discrete decision points influenced by body size, locomotor mode, and ecological context. Larger animals turned less frequently, consistent with biomechanical constraints of mass and rotational inertia, while aerial species often exhibited higher turning rates driven by soaring flight demands. We further show that turns can be linked to diverse behavioral drivers, including prey pursuit, obstacle avoidance, predator evasion, and exploitation of environmental energy. By explicitly quantifying turns, we clarify how distributions of step durations and turn angles interact to shape movement patterns and why different statistical models (e.g., correlated random walks, Lévy flights) emerge when lower resolution data are analyzed. Finally, we demonstrate how fundamental steps and turns can be incorporated into an agent-based modeling framework using penguins as a case study, enabling reconstruction of realistic tracks and prediction of movement responses to environmental change. Straight-line travel punctuated by decision-driven turns thus emerges as a fundamental principle of vertebrate movement, linking fine-scale movement structure, ecological context, and emergent patterns of space use.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Ecological Monographs</journal><volume>96</volume><journalNumber>2</journalNumber><paginationStart>e70069</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>Wiley</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>0012-9615</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1557-7015</issnElectronic><keywords>accelerometer, agent-based model, animal movement, bio-logging, dead-reckoning, heading, magnetometer, step length, turn angle, turning points</keywords><publishedDay>31</publishedDay><publishedMonth>5</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-05-31</publishedDate><doi>10.1002/ecm.70069</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Biosciences Geography and Physics School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>BGPS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Another institution paid the OA fee</apcterm><funders>The Beveridge Herpetological Trust; The Jock Clough Marine Foundation; Rolex Awards for Enterprise; The European Research Council Advanced Grant Program FP7/2007–2013. Grant Number: ERC-2012-ADG_20120314; Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung; National Science Foundation. Grant Numbers: DEB-2032131, IOS1145749; RAC Parks and Resorts; The MG Kailis Group; Enterprise; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Grant Number: BB/M011224/1; European Union. Grant Numbers: 715874, PICT 2015; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; NSERC; Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters Special; European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme. Grant Number: 101060072 (ACTNOW); European Research Council; Challenge Fund and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council; Durrell Conservation Trust; Supporting Project. Grant Number: RSPD2023R602; The Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science. Grant Numbers: 16H01769, 16H06541, 21H05294, 22H00569; International Association of Avian Trainers &amp; Educators (IAATE); King Saud University; South African National Antarctic Programme; ANCYPT. Grant Number: PICT 2021-I-A-00484; Royal Society/Wolfson Lab; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust; National Geographic. Grant Number: GEFNE69-13; The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, The UWA Graduate Research School. Grant Numbers: 10.18258/7190, QK1910462; Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. Grant Number: EVA4.0; Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Grant Number: 82/2021; European Regional Development Fund; National Agency for Science Promotion. Grant Numbers: PICT 2017-1996, PICT 2018-01480; First Trust Travel Scholarship at Queen's University Belfast; European Research Executive Agency (REA). Grant Number: 101060072; Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Argentina; Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour’s Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies. Grant Number: CP1217; JST CREST. Grant Number: JPMJCR23P2; Wilderness Wildlife Trust, Tusk Trust; The Bennink Foundation, Painted Dog Conservation Inc; World Wildlife Fund; Gemfields Inc; National Geographic Society; IUCN Save Our Species (SOS); OP RDE project Improvement in Quality of the Internal Grant Scheme. Grant Numbers: CZ,.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016944, CZ,.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803; Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-06-10T13:43:26.7709217</lastEdited><Created>2026-02-27T20:24:00.0222909</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Richard M.</firstname><surname>Gunner</surname><orcid>0000-0002-2054-9944</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Rory</firstname><surname>Wilson</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3177-0177</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Miguel</firstname><surname>Lurgi 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spelling v2 71515 2026-02-27 High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc 0000-0003-3177-0177 Rory Wilson Rory Wilson true false 947df89d116a1ab75515e421089e0443 0000-0001-9891-895X Miguel Lurgi Rivera Miguel Lurgi Rivera true false 8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2 0000-0001-8763-5997 Luca Borger Luca Borger true false 4046e46611e52bf1ee798d17411df8e9 James Redcliffe James Redcliffe true false 54729295145aa1ea56d176818d51ed6a 0000-0001-7325-6398 Emily Shepard Emily Shepard true false 0e1d89d0cc934a740dcd0a873aed178e 0000-0001-8834-3283 Mark Holton Mark Holton true false 1507ca58dd8844de1d7fe4525233fd07 Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard true false d7db8d42c476dfa69c15ce06d29bd863 0000-0003-3628-2524 Rowan Brown Rowan Brown true false 477202f827eb1990efde30a4a11635b2 Maxime Hoareau Maxime Hoareau true false 2026-02-27 BGPS Animal movement paths display substantial complexity and variability, promoting efforts to identify universal rules and models that best describe them. Using high-resolution (≥10 Hz) movement from 43 vertebrate species spanning diverse taxa, body sizes, and lifestyles, we show that paths are universally composed of straight-line steps interspersed with sharp turns, echoing patterns documented in lower taxa such as bacteria. We report how vertebrate “fundamental steps”—straight travel segments between successive detected turns (with Fstepduration as the turn-to-turn interval and Fsteplength as the corresponding distance when displacement is available)—and “fundamental turn angles” (Fturnangles; net changes in travel heading between successive steps) vary with species' mass, locomotor mode, behavior, and environment. Here, “fundamental” denotes the finest scale step/turn events resolvable under our sampling rate and turn-detection criteria; these event-scale steps/turns are intrinsically different from the straight-line segments inferred from low-resolution position data. To explain these relationships, we posit that animals inherently move in a straight line until sensory information signals a better heading, triggering a turn. Across all species examined, animals spent the vast majority of their travel time moving in straight lines (species-level means >90%), with turns representing discrete decision points influenced by body size, locomotor mode, and ecological context. Larger animals turned less frequently, consistent with biomechanical constraints of mass and rotational inertia, while aerial species often exhibited higher turning rates driven by soaring flight demands. We further show that turns can be linked to diverse behavioral drivers, including prey pursuit, obstacle avoidance, predator evasion, and exploitation of environmental energy. By explicitly quantifying turns, we clarify how distributions of step durations and turn angles interact to shape movement patterns and why different statistical models (e.g., correlated random walks, Lévy flights) emerge when lower resolution data are analyzed. Finally, we demonstrate how fundamental steps and turns can be incorporated into an agent-based modeling framework using penguins as a case study, enabling reconstruction of realistic tracks and prediction of movement responses to environmental change. Straight-line travel punctuated by decision-driven turns thus emerges as a fundamental principle of vertebrate movement, linking fine-scale movement structure, ecological context, and emergent patterns of space use. Journal Article Ecological Monographs 96 2 e70069 Wiley 0012-9615 1557-7015 accelerometer, agent-based model, animal movement, bio-logging, dead-reckoning, heading, magnetometer, step length, turn angle, turning points 31 5 2026 2026-05-31 10.1002/ecm.70069 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee The Beveridge Herpetological Trust; The Jock Clough Marine Foundation; Rolex Awards for Enterprise; The European Research Council Advanced Grant Program FP7/2007–2013. Grant Number: ERC-2012-ADG_20120314; Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung; National Science Foundation. Grant Numbers: DEB-2032131, IOS1145749; RAC Parks and Resorts; The MG Kailis Group; Enterprise; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Grant Number: BB/M011224/1; European Union. Grant Numbers: 715874, PICT 2015; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; NSERC; Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters Special; European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme. Grant Number: 101060072 (ACTNOW); European Research Council; Challenge Fund and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council; Durrell Conservation Trust; Supporting Project. Grant Number: RSPD2023R602; The Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science. Grant Numbers: 16H01769, 16H06541, 21H05294, 22H00569; International Association of Avian Trainers & Educators (IAATE); King Saud University; South African National Antarctic Programme; ANCYPT. Grant Number: PICT 2021-I-A-00484; Royal Society/Wolfson Lab; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust; National Geographic. Grant Number: GEFNE69-13; The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, The UWA Graduate Research School. Grant Numbers: 10.18258/7190, QK1910462; Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. Grant Number: EVA4.0; Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Grant Number: 82/2021; European Regional Development Fund; National Agency for Science Promotion. Grant Numbers: PICT 2017-1996, PICT 2018-01480; First Trust Travel Scholarship at Queen's University Belfast; European Research Executive Agency (REA). Grant Number: 101060072; Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Argentina; Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour’s Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies. Grant Number: CP1217; JST CREST. Grant Number: JPMJCR23P2; Wilderness Wildlife Trust, Tusk Trust; The Bennink Foundation, Painted Dog Conservation Inc; World Wildlife Fund; Gemfields Inc; National Geographic Society; IUCN Save Our Species (SOS); OP RDE project Improvement in Quality of the Internal Grant Scheme. Grant Numbers: CZ,.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016944, CZ,.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803; Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. 2026-06-10T13:43:26.7709217 2026-02-27T20:24:00.0222909 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Richard M. Gunner 0000-0002-2054-9944 1 Rory Wilson 0000-0003-3177-0177 2 Miguel Lurgi Rivera 0000-0001-9891-895X 3 Luca Borger 0000-0001-8763-5997 4 James Redcliffe 5 Emily Shepard 0000-0001-7325-6398 6 Mark Holton 0000-0001-8834-3283 7 Margaret C. Crofoot 8 Abdulaziz Alagaili 9 Samantha Andrzejaczek 0000-0002-9929-7312 10 Daniel Ariano‐Sánchez 0000-0003-4955-5018 11 Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard 12 Nigel C. Bennett 13 Alice Bernard 14 Rowan Brown 0000-0003-3628-2524 15 Nik Cole 16 Scott Creel 0000-0003-3170-6113 17 Ariovaldo P. Cruz‐Neto 18 Agustina di Virgilio 19 Carlos M. Duarte 20 Christophe Eizaguirre 21 Kyle H. Elliott 22 Monika Faltusova 23 Mathieu Garel 24 Natasha Gillies 25 Adrian C. Gleiss 26 Aoife Göppert 0000-0002-9100-5717 27 David Grémillet 28 Sophie de Grissac 29 Tim Guilford 30 Maxime Hoareau 31 Mark Jessopp 32 Agustina Gómez‐Laich 33 Milos Jezek 34 Sergio A. Lambertucci 0000-0002-2624-2185 35 Pascal Marchand 0000-0002-0710-8861 36 Nikki Marks 37 Andréia Martins 38 Mark Meekan 0000-0002-3067-9427 39 Yuichi Mizutani 40 Rasmus M. Mortensen 0000-0003-4975-608x 41 Bradley M. Norman 42 Josue Ortega 43 Oliver Padget 44 Michael Painter 45 Aurore Ponchon 0000-0002-5126-6269 46 Pascal Provost 47 Aurélien Prudor 48 Flavio Quintana 49 Stefanie Reinhardt 50 Samantha D. Reynolds 0000-0003-4094-8018 51 Frank Rosell 52 Carlos R. Ruiz‐Miranda 0000-0001-7360-0304 53 Peter G. Ryan 54 David M. Scantlebury 55 Stefan Schoombie 56 Rebecca Scott 57 Vaclav Silovsky 58 Jeroen Steenbeek 59 Vikash Tatayah 60 Carole Toïgo 61 Lucia Torrez 62 Fred Tremblay 63 Joshua P. Twining 0000-0002-0881-9665 64 Ken Yoda 0000-0002-8346-3291 65 Henri Weimerskirch 0000-0002-0457-586x 66 Shannon Whelan 0000-0003-2862-327x 67 Juan M. Morales 0000-0001-7269-7490 68 Jonathan R. Potts 0000-0002-8564-2904 69 71515__36920__e639830bc42b4f378bd17eadbcf1036d.pdf 71515.VOR.pdf 2026-06-10T13:36:23.2497769 Output 25791318 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). Ecological Monographs published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
spellingShingle High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
Rory Wilson
Miguel Lurgi Rivera
Luca Borger
James Redcliffe
Emily Shepard
Mark Holton
Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard
Rowan Brown
Maxime Hoareau
title_short High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
title_full High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
title_fullStr High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
title_full_unstemmed High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
title_sort High resolution data reveal fundamental steps and turns in animal movements
author_id_str_mv 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc
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8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2
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author_id_fullname_str_mv 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc_***_Rory Wilson
947df89d116a1ab75515e421089e0443_***_Miguel Lurgi Rivera
8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2_***_Luca Borger
4046e46611e52bf1ee798d17411df8e9_***_James Redcliffe
54729295145aa1ea56d176818d51ed6a_***_Emily Shepard
0e1d89d0cc934a740dcd0a873aed178e_***_Mark Holton
1507ca58dd8844de1d7fe4525233fd07_***_Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard
d7db8d42c476dfa69c15ce06d29bd863_***_Rowan Brown
477202f827eb1990efde30a4a11635b2_***_Maxime Hoareau
author Rory Wilson
Miguel Lurgi Rivera
Luca Borger
James Redcliffe
Emily Shepard
Mark Holton
Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard
Rowan Brown
Maxime Hoareau
author2 Richard M. Gunner
Rory Wilson
Miguel Lurgi Rivera
Luca Borger
James Redcliffe
Emily Shepard
Mark Holton
Margaret C. Crofoot
Abdulaziz Alagaili
Samantha Andrzejaczek
Daniel Ariano‐Sánchez
Thomas Barbedette‐Gerard
Nigel C. Bennett
Alice Bernard
Rowan Brown
Nik Cole
Scott Creel
Ariovaldo P. Cruz‐Neto
Agustina di Virgilio
Carlos M. Duarte
Christophe Eizaguirre
Kyle H. Elliott
Monika Faltusova
Mathieu Garel
Natasha Gillies
Adrian C. Gleiss
Aoife Göppert
David Grémillet
Sophie de Grissac
Tim Guilford
Maxime Hoareau
Mark Jessopp
Agustina Gómez‐Laich
Milos Jezek
Sergio A. Lambertucci
Pascal Marchand
Nikki Marks
Andréia Martins
Mark Meekan
Yuichi Mizutani
Rasmus M. Mortensen
Bradley M. Norman
Josue Ortega
Oliver Padget
Michael Painter
Aurore Ponchon
Pascal Provost
Aurélien Prudor
Flavio Quintana
Stefanie Reinhardt
Samantha D. Reynolds
Frank Rosell
Carlos R. Ruiz‐Miranda
Peter G. Ryan
David M. Scantlebury
Stefan Schoombie
Rebecca Scott
Vaclav Silovsky
Jeroen Steenbeek
Vikash Tatayah
Carole Toïgo
Lucia Torrez
Fred Tremblay
Joshua P. Twining
Ken Yoda
Henri Weimerskirch
Shannon Whelan
Juan M. Morales
Jonathan R. Potts
format Journal article
container_title Ecological Monographs
container_volume 96
container_issue 2
container_start_page e70069
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 0012-9615
1557-7015
doi_str_mv 10.1002/ecm.70069
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Animal movement paths display substantial complexity and variability, promoting efforts to identify universal rules and models that best describe them. Using high-resolution (≥10 Hz) movement from 43 vertebrate species spanning diverse taxa, body sizes, and lifestyles, we show that paths are universally composed of straight-line steps interspersed with sharp turns, echoing patterns documented in lower taxa such as bacteria. We report how vertebrate “fundamental steps”—straight travel segments between successive detected turns (with Fstepduration as the turn-to-turn interval and Fsteplength as the corresponding distance when displacement is available)—and “fundamental turn angles” (Fturnangles; net changes in travel heading between successive steps) vary with species' mass, locomotor mode, behavior, and environment. Here, “fundamental” denotes the finest scale step/turn events resolvable under our sampling rate and turn-detection criteria; these event-scale steps/turns are intrinsically different from the straight-line segments inferred from low-resolution position data. To explain these relationships, we posit that animals inherently move in a straight line until sensory information signals a better heading, triggering a turn. Across all species examined, animals spent the vast majority of their travel time moving in straight lines (species-level means >90%), with turns representing discrete decision points influenced by body size, locomotor mode, and ecological context. Larger animals turned less frequently, consistent with biomechanical constraints of mass and rotational inertia, while aerial species often exhibited higher turning rates driven by soaring flight demands. We further show that turns can be linked to diverse behavioral drivers, including prey pursuit, obstacle avoidance, predator evasion, and exploitation of environmental energy. By explicitly quantifying turns, we clarify how distributions of step durations and turn angles interact to shape movement patterns and why different statistical models (e.g., correlated random walks, Lévy flights) emerge when lower resolution data are analyzed. Finally, we demonstrate how fundamental steps and turns can be incorporated into an agent-based modeling framework using penguins as a case study, enabling reconstruction of realistic tracks and prediction of movement responses to environmental change. Straight-line travel punctuated by decision-driven turns thus emerges as a fundamental principle of vertebrate movement, linking fine-scale movement structure, ecological context, and emergent patterns of space use.
published_date 2026-05-31T13:43:28Z
_version_ 1867613899620089856
score 11.108039

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