Silver Ounce 2017 African Ounce - Hippopotamus, Coin from Rwanda - detailed information

The Rwandan Franc was introduced as the currency of Rwanda in 1964. Apart from its regular circulating coinage, the country has also authorised some foreign mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the internationally popular silver ounce (1 oz silver) format, denominated usually as 50 Francs. Like any bullion coin though, their actual value is unrelated to the face value, and is based primarily on the metal content and the spot price of that metal on the commodities markets.

This coin is part of the African Ounce series which features a new animal on the reverse every year; this year's design is dedicated to the Hippopotamus.

The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), also called the hippo, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis).

Aside from elephants and rhinos, the hippopotamus is the largest land mammal. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the hippopotamids are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.), from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. Hippos are recognisable for their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, pillar-like legs, and large size: adults average 1,500 kg for bulls (males) and 1,300 kg for cows (females). Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running at 30 km/h over short distances.

Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. Territorial bulls each preside over a stretch of water and a group of five to thirty cows and calves. Mating and birth both occur in the water. During the day, hippos remain cool by staying in water or mud, emerging at dusk to graze on grasses. While hippos rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos typically do not display territorial behaviour on land. Hippos are among the most dangerous animals in the world due to their aggressive and unpredictable nature.

The Latin word hippopotamus is derived from the ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος, hippopótamos, from ἵππος, híppos, "horse", and ποταμός, potamós, 'river', meaning "horse of the river". In English, the plural is "hippopotamuses", but "hippopotami" is also used.