One of the world91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s smallest and most endangered turtle species was found on the shores Quebec91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Magdalen Islands last week 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” a first in the province.

Veterinarian Jean-Simon Richard says he was contacted last Saturday after someone found a beached Kemp91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s ridley sea turtle on the archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Richard says attempts were made to revive the turtle but proved unsuccessful and the animal will be sent for a necropsy to confirm a cause of death.

He says he believes the turtle swam farther north than usual because it was attracted to the warming waters and likely died from hypothermia.

Kathleen Martin, executive director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, says the discovery is significant because Kemp91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s ridley turtles migrate from the Gulf of Mexico and that sea turtle species are in peril.

Martin says Canada will have to play an increasingly important role in the protection of endangered sea turtles as climate change creates warmer waters that bring unexpected marine animals to the country91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s shores.