biostudies-literatureUnknown5Bras YL<h4>Background</h4>In marine pelagic ecosystems, the spatial distribution of biomass is heterogeneous and dynamic. At large scales, physical processes are the main driving forces of biomass distribution. At fine scales, both biotic and abiotic parameters are likely to be key determinants in the horizontal and vertical distribution of biomass, with direct consequences on the foraging behaviour of diving predators. However, fine scale three-dimensional (3D) spatial interactions between diving predators and their prey are still poorly known.<h4>Results</h4>We reconstructed and examined the patterns of southern elephant seals 3D path during the bottom phase of their dives, and related them to estimated prey encounter density. We found that southern elephant seal tracks at bottom are strongly dMovement ecology18https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5577837biostudies-literatureThree-dimensional space use during the bottom phase of southern elephant seal dives.PMC5577837Guinet CJouma'a JBras YLfalseThree-dimensional space use during the bottom phase of southern elephant seal dives.<h4>Background</h4>In marine pelagic ecosystems, the spatial distribution of biomass is heterogeneous and dynamic. At large scales, physical processes are the main driving forces of biomass distribution. At fine scales, both biotic and abiotic parameters are likely to be key determinants in the horizontal and vertical distribution of biomass, with direct consequences on the foraging behaviour of diving predators. However, fine scale three-dimensional (3D) spatial interactions between diving predators and their prey are still poorly known.<h4>Results</h4>We reconstructed and examined the patterns of southern elephant seals 3D path during the bottom phase of their dives, and related them to estimated prey encounter density. We found that southern elephant seal tracks at bottom are strongly d2017-01-01T00:00:00Z20172026-05-05T23:38:37.717Z2019-03-27T02:55:00ZS-EPMC55778372886127210.1186/s40462-017-0108-y