If there is one animal that embodies the spirit of Africa it is undoubtedly the African Elephant (Loxodanta africana) for me; just try to imagine Africa or even Botswana without these pachyderms. Apart from that there are many reasons why Elephants are my favourite animals. One of them is that they are so much fun to observe; I can literally watch them for hours on end. Dust-bathing and mud-bathing are particularly entertaining activities.