Loggerhead sea turtle

Photo: Nikolas Linke · CC BY-NC

The Azores sit on a major developmental corridor for juvenile loggerhead turtles that hatch in the Gulf of Mexico and ride the North Atlantic Gyre eastward, spending years in the open Atlantic before returning west as adults. Monte da Guia's sheltered crater provides resting and foraging habitat, and encounters peak from June through October when water temperatures are warmest. The Azores government has strict protections for turtles and has invested heavily in stranding rescue infrastructure.