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Samoan fruit bats will be featured on quarters released by the US Mint next month

By CNN
Courtesy U.S. Mint

The United States Mint has released the final designs for the America the Beautiful Quarters program, and one of the designs depicts a Samoan fruit bat hanging in a tree with her pup.

The quarter was designed by Richard Masters, and Phebe Hemphill was the sculptor, according to the US Mint. It is being released to honor the National Park of American Samoa.

The design of the quarter is being used to raise awareness to the threatened status of Samoan fruit bats due to habitat loss and commercial hunting, according to the US Mint. Samoan fruit bats are native to the National Park of American Samoa.

Located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, it is one of the most remote parks in the US National Park System, the US Mint says.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program was started in 2010 by the United States Mint. Every year, 56 quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites are released.

Gracie the Giraffe, who went missing after wandering off a Texas ranch, is finally found

By The Associated Press
Gracie the Giraffe, who went missing for about two weeks in Texas after wandering off a remote private ranch, was finally found Friday — and the open range appeared to have agreed with her. The giraffe was spotted about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south of her enclosure during an aerial search in the Texas Hill Country, according to Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson. He said Gracie's owner, Vick Jones, contacted a veterinarian and began putting together a team to bring the giraffe safely back to the ranch. “She’s in good shape,” Jones said. “She’s standing there, swishing her tail.” Gracie, who is about 3 years old and weighs at least 1,200 pounds, was found within a half-mile of a pond and creek and had plenty of vegetation to feed on, said Jones, adding that she appeared to have been in that area for about a week.
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