4/2/2023 0 Comments Whale vomitThe indigestible beaks of the fish cause an irritation in the stomach and it is thought that this causes a pathological growth. Some of the 'growths' are thought to be Ambergris, and the whale gets rid of it through the natural process of nature. It appears that the male Sperm Whale feed on large quantities of squid and cuttlefish which is invariably embedded in Ambergris. When whaling begun in the 18th Century it was discovered that Ambergris was found in one type of whale and that being the male Sperm Whale only. In early times when found on beaches throughout the world, it was thought to be a form of bitumen or possibly a marine fungus. It has been known to be used since 1000 AD and in recent times used for Homeopathic medicines. "Ambergris" is a valuable material used in the manufacture of perfume in many parts of the world. It is also used in the making of expensive cigars and has reputed aphrodisiac properties. Jupiter and Saturn are creating a 'Christmas Star' in the sky on December 21 Follow Mashable SEA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.Ĭover image sourced from Thairath and BBC.In response to many requests as to "what is Ambergris", "where is it found","what is it worth", the following is a breif resume to answer some of those questions. Singapore hikers bump into huge AF crocodile blocking their path How do honey bees ward off murder hornets? Poop decorations. With his particular discovery weighing in at around 100 kilograms, Suwansang has so far received an offer from from businessmen to buy it at a rate of US$32,000 (THB960,000) per kilogram should experts certify it as Grade A ambergris.ĭoing the math, that would equate to US$3.2 million for the entire chunk – an extremely fortuitous barf sample if there ever was one. So, as Suwansang discovered, it's no wonder then that ambergris holds such high monetary value, with many dubbing it "floating gold". Records have shown ambergris being used by humans for possibly over a thousand years as aphrodisiacs in food and drink, or most commonly as an ingredient used in expensive perfumes to prolong the scent.īut with whaling being deemed illegal and the substance only popping up naturally on rare occasions, the availability of the substance has diminished tremendously. Worth more than its weight in gold.īeyond being the by-product of a sperm whale's eating habits, ambergris also has value as a useful substance to humans. Some eventually end up on the shores of beaches and emit a stench strongly resembling manure, often attracting the attention of dogs and other animals with sensitive smell receptors. IMAGE: The ConversationĪfter exiting a whale's body, the excreted ambergris floats around in the ocean, slowly transforming its appearance from a black or dark grey lump into a yellow, waxy chunk resembling a rock. How the mass finds itself floating freely in the ocean is still not fully confirmed – some theories suggest that the whales get rid of ambergris via regurgitation, others suggest it anally exits along with fecal matter, while some think that overly huge chunks of ambergris completely rupture the whale's rectum. One of the most strangely-occurring substances on the planet, ambergris is formed in the digestive systems of sperm whales after the indigestible elements of their prey – the beaks and pens of squid and cuttlefish – find their way into the intestines and begin binding together with ambrein – a compound only found in sperm whales – and other digestive fluids, slowly forming a solid rock-like mass over the course of several years. IMAGE: ThairathĪs it turns out, Suwansang soon discovered the true nature of the chunk – an extremely rare and expensive substance called ambergris – and realized he was in possession of something more valuable than gold. On nothing more than a whim, he decided to take his find home with him, suspecting it to be just a peculiar-looking rock. It detailed how one Narit Suwansang – a resident of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province – stumbled across a giant chunk of hardened whale vomit whilst walking along one of the area's beaches. The story first surfaced on Novemon Thai news website Thairath. In Thailand, one such man can fully identify with the phrase above after stumbling upon a chunk of hardened whale vomit possibly worth US$3.2 million. "One whale's throw-up, another man's treasure."
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