Meet the Split Views Hippos!

split views Jun 12, 2023

From the moment the 2021 Great White Shark Split View 1 oz silver coin dropped, this collection has been on our radar. It took second place in the Unique Concept Category in the 2021 Coin Constellation competition in Russia. The 2022 edition, American Alligator, was just as unique, methodical, and gorgeous. So we couldn’t wait to see what it had in store for the third issue…and we were not disappointed.

Ladies and gents, introducing the Split Views collection 2023 1 oz silver coin: Hippos.

2023 Split Views Hippos 1 oz Silver Coin

On the reverse we have the classic bird’s eye view that this collection always features: a mother hippo and her baby side by side resting in the muddy, tranquil waters that allow them cool relief from the hot African sun. The pair are accompanied by a third hippo, sharpening his teeth on the bark of a log. From the obverse, you’ll see their tubby, barrel-like bodies and short legs from underneath. Cute as they might be, hippos are some of the most dangerous animals in the world–especially a mother protecting her calf.

Here are 15 Hippo facts to show off when you show off this collectible to your friends and family. (Warning: hippos are kind of gross):

Hippos are mostly active at night because their skin dries out really quickly under the sun. They gorge themselves on vegetation, being herbivores, and they’ll eat up to 100 or more pounds of food in one sitting! Hungry, hungry hippos indeed.
It makes sense that they have to eat so much, because most hippos weigh between 2,200-4,400 lbs, making them one of the world’s largest land mammals.
Hippos are semi-aquatic, semi-land mammals. They spend some 16 odd hours a day bathing in the muddy waters they love so much, only allowing their nostrils and above to be exposed.
Because of their oddly shaped heads, hippos don’t have very good eyesight but they do have an excellent sense of smell and strong hearing.
Hippos don’t swim! When in deep water, a hippo will lazily let itself sink to the bottom and then bounce off and run toward the surface.
Being able to hold their breath for 3-5 minutes at a time is like breathing to hippos…completely automatic! In fact, they do it in their sleep without ever waking up. They can seal their ears and nostrils shut when submerged to make it easier.
Hippos produce their own sunscreen when they ‘sweat’, which is reddish-orange and sometimes colloquially known as ‘blood sweat’.
Herds of hippos, called ‘schools’ or ‘bloats’, usually consist of about 10-30 female or beta male hippos led by one dominant alpha.
Though lions are known as the king of the jungle, it would take a whole pack of them to take down a hippo. If the hippo was so inclined, it could easily overpower the lion with its wide jaws, thick hide, and even thicker body weight.
Hippos are one of the only threats to crocodiles, mostly because they’re bigger, fast, and nearly always travel in packs that will defend one another.
Hippos serve an immeasurable function to their environment: they essentially create a hydroponic system by eating and clearing vegetation that grows along the rivers they frequent and then defecating nutrients in the water, creating a rich environment for the local flora and fauna.
Despite their usefulness to nature, hippos can be pests to human beings. For some reason they like to set up camp near human civilizations, but their territorial nature causes them to kill an estimated 500 people per year in Africa, where they live. And they don’t know the difference between the plants humans planted and tended for an entire year to be able to feed themselves, or what’s their dinner. All they know is…hey, FOOD!
A hippo’s yawn is a warning sign. They’re exposing their teeth, telling the threat to back off, and they’re much faster than they look. If a hippo starts to make a deep chuckling sound, they mean business. And things just get grosser from there…they might start swinging their butts around while pooping to mark their territory, or peeing in a stream directed toward the threat. In summation, if you want to approach a hippo…don’t.
All hippos jaws are capable of opening to somewhere around a 150 degree angle, sometimes even 180 degrees!
It’s helpful for a hippo to have a wide yawn, since some of their teeth never really stop growing and can reach lengths of up to a foot and half.

Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about hippos, you’re free to show off your collectible, armed with fun facts. Keep an eye out for the next releases…we have a feeling this collection is going to be worth your while.