Table 1 Description of the track and dive-based metrics at the scale of dives

Descent rate*

\(\frac{{d_{descent} }}{{t_{descent} }}\)

Where \(d_{descent}\) is the sum of the vertical distance swam during the descent phase and \(t_{descent}\) the duration of the descent phase

Ascent rate*

\(\frac{{d_{ascent} }}{{t_{ascent} }}\)

Where \(d_{ascent}\) is the sum of the vertical distance swam during the ascent phase and \(t_{ascent}\) the duration of the ascent phase

Bottom duration*

Duration of the bottom phase

Surface duration

Duration of the post-dive surface phase

Efficiency*

\(\frac{{t_{bottom} }}{{t_{dive} + t_{surface} }}\)

Where \(t_{bottom}\) is the duration of the dive bottom phase, \(t_{dive}\) the dive duration, and \(t_{surface}\) the post-dive surface duration

Sinuosity

\(\frac{{d_{bottom} }}{{ld_{bottom} }}\)

Where \(d_{bottom}\) is the total vertical distance swam by the seal at the bottom phase and \(ld_{bottom}\) the sum of the linear vertical distance from the start of the bottom phase to the maximum depth and from the maximum depth to the end of the bottom phase

Hunting time*

Sum of the duration of the dive segments during which the seal is considered as hunting [48, 101]

Horizontal speed

\(\frac{\Delta d}{{\Delta t}}\)

Where \(\Delta d\) is the distance between the current and the previous dive and \(\Delta t\) is the time duration between the current and the previous dive

Turning angle

Turning angle between the previous, the current, and the next dive

FPT

The first-passage time method [27]

Move persistence

Correlation in transit speed and turning angle over time [26]