5 Shillings Papio Anubis

Somaliland's ongoing status as an unrecognized state — self-declared independent from Somalia since 1991 but acknowledged by no UN member — means its coinage circulates domestically without ever achieving the international monetary standing of a recognized national issue. The Bank of Somaliland has leaned into wildlife series partly for this reason: collector appeal generates hard currency inflows that purely functional coinage would not.

The olive baboon, Papio anubis, takes its species name from the Egyptian god Anubis, noted by early naturalists who saw a resemblance between the dog-headed deity and the animal's elongated muzzle.