Zino’s petrel or freira (Pterodroma madeira) feeds over a wide area in the central and eastern Atlantic Ocean, since it winters in the open sea. However, it only nests in the eastern part of Madeira Island, in burrows dug into the soil of mountainous areas above 1600 m in altitude; for this reason, it is considered endemic to this archipelago. During the breeding season these birds congregate in the ocean waters of Madeira and the Azores.
Owing to its small nesting area and very low population, estimated at 65 to 80 breeding pairs, this is one of the rarest and most endangered seabirds in the world. Their nests can be targeted by predators such as rats and cats, or destroyed by rabbits, goats or forest fires. Due to these threats, the species is considered to be endangered (EN).
The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is a cosmopolitan marine reptile that can be found in every ocean in the world except the icy Arctic and Antarctic waters. Most of their lives are spent at sea, where many are caught in trawls and other abandoned fishing gear and eventually drown.
Females only return to land for a few hours every two or three years to lay, where they are often hunted for their meat and eggs. On developed beaches, hatchlings can also be fatally attracted to the artificial light from buildings, rather than following the reflection of the stars on the sea, their only natural shelter. The continued pollution of the oceans, particularly by plastic, poses further threats to this species and it is therefore considered to be endangered (EN).
