Loggerhead Turtle

Photo: Ana Santos · CC BY-NC

Loggerhead turtles are year-round residents at Vila Franca islet, drawn by the sea grass and jellyfish that proliferate in the sheltered bay and the rocky shelves where they rest between feeding dives. The Azores sits on a critical North Atlantic loggerhead migratory corridor connecting Mediterranean nesting beaches to Atlantic feeding grounds, and individual turtles tagged here have been tracked to both continents. Encounters are among the most relaxed in the Atlantic because the turtles are accustomed to respectful human presence in the reserve.