[RGamma]

Looking at my 2 T. hermanni tortoises I can really see their species having pushed themselves for the past 100 million years.

Sarcasm aside, what they're really doing when the sun is out in summer: Lying in the sunlight, eating, walking, eating, hiding under a bush, hiding under piece of wood, bathing, etc all the way until they're 80. Quite peaceful animals.

What matters not that you constantly push yourself... it's well-being and that you are in personal equilibrium. Anything else is probably gonna end in a crash some time.

[mamon]

>> Sarcasm aside, what they're really doing when the sun is out in summer: Lying in the sunlight, eating, walking, eating, hiding under a bush, hiding under piece of wood, bathing, etc all the way until they're 80. Quite peaceful animals

Are you still talking about your pet turtles here? because that lifestyle is not natural for them. If they tried too much lying in the sunlight in the wild they would quickly get eaten by some predator.

[RGamma]

I was simplifying somewhat. They do like to sunbath especially in the morning though and from what I've read in their natural habitat in Greece as well (to adult tortoises there's few natural predators there, but younglings tend to stay hidden in their first few years).

My point was more that wild animals do not push themselves in the same way we humans do. There's fulfilling basic needs and stress from disease or predators, but no voluntary exercise beyond what's necessary for finding food/drink or obsession for self-improvement.

I'd be curious if one could teach some smarter animals that they're able to self-improve but that probably requires higher-order thinking...