Hanau ka po ia honu kua nanaka :- From the darkness of time came the sea turtle with its plated back.

Kumulipo: A Hawaiian creation chant

150 million years before the fiery birth of the Hawaiian Islands, even before there was a Pacific Ocean, the first honu (green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas) raised its head from the water to breathe. Looking into the teary eyes of a basking turtle, we are literally looking at a survivor of the age of dinosaurs. From ancient reverence and utility to modern wonder, the turtle has fed our bodies and spirits. Modern scientific studies of sea turtles underscore the links that bind our fate to that of the honu. Excerpt from a document by US National Park Service.