The connection between turtles and divination was quite strong too. Basically speaking, the first forms of divination or 'Bu' involved throwing turtle shells or bones into fire, and then examining how the bones cracked under the intense flames. Depending on how they cracked, the diviner would pull out different meanings!
In fact, one could sort of determine this through the character 'Bu' which looked like a 'K' without the top line going up left. It basically represented a bone with a crack.
As for turtles specifically, they also had a lot of strong ties to divination. A turtle shell was considered a representation of the Heavens or a sort of 'divine map of the universe', with the patterns on the top representing the Heavens, while the bottom or 'inside' of the turtle shell represented the Earth, with the four feet of the turtle connecting the four corners of the Earth, supporting the world with its strength, which is why they were so short and stout.
