THE WORLD'S rarest sea turtle that washed up alive on Talacre beach has been placed in a specially-adapted incubator to help give it the best possible chance of survival.

The juvenile Kemp's Ridley turtle, named 'Tally' after the beach where it was found, was discovered on Sunday by a local couple - some 4,000 miles from its home in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is the world's rarest and most endangered species of sea turtle - and is thought to have been blown off course whilst journeying through warmer seas further south in the Atlantic, probably due to the recent strong wind and currents.

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Tally was in a state of cold water shock when it was found, and has been taken in by Anglesey Sea Zoo - which is providing it with emergency, round-the-clock care.

The aquarium said on Tuesday that the early signs for the "extremely precious" turtle's chances of survival are positive - despite the fact most cold-stranded turtles often die during the process of being revived.

Tally is said to be responding well to treatment, but it remains in a critical condition. It has now been placed in a purposed-built incubator to help stabilise its temperatures.

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On Wednesday, Anglesey Sea Zoo issued the update on its social media.

It said: "The team have worked hard over the past two days and Tally now has its own purpose-built incubator to stabilise temperatures.

"We are still seeing positive signs but taking it minute by minute as Tally is still at a critical stage.We would like to thank you all for your well wishes and support."

Kemp's Ridley turtles are typically found in waters between 25-30 degrees Celsius, with British waters this time of year being in single figure temperatures.

The UK's only native species of turtle is the Leatherback Turtle, which is common between May and September when it visits our coasts to feed on the huge swarms of large jellyfish.

If Tally survives, it will eventually be flown to the Gulf of Mexico to be released back into the wild.