In this second installment called Sammy’s Science Arizona, I deal solely with animals and plants inhabiting the state of Arizona. As always, I tell the science facts in this book using my mixed species animal family characters from our radio broadcast. The main characters are Sammy Skunk, the dad; Daphne Skunk, the mama; Erasmus, the teenage porcupine; Ewald, the middle school-age roadrunner; our pet orange tabby cat, Bonkers; and Tremor, the wee skateboarding mouse. In this book, Randy Raccoon, Eddy Beaver, Donkey Dan, Beanie the Goat, Big Red, and a few other characters also appear.
Though we have many dangerous animals in the state of Arizona, most are small, including the coral snake, several species of rattle snakes, scorpions, centipedes, Gila monsters, several spiders, and many other small creatures. There are also a few dangerous desert plants. Then we also have six medium-to-large carnivores that call our state their home. I hope that by reading this book, visitors, new residents, as well as those that have been residents for a few years will learn to be careful while hiking in the states wilderness areas. Enjoy your everyday lives, and be careful while hiking, camping, biking, or hunting in Arizona. Never go hiking without a friend or two along, and like me, carry a big knife, plenty of water, a good hat, plenty of sunscreen, and a good walking stick with you.
