Tag Archives: whale

Ambergris: Whale Vomit Could Pay off Your Mortgage

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UK resident Ken Wilman was walking his dog on the beach near his home when his dog became very interested in a yellow rock lying on the beach. The man said he didn’t understand why exactly his dog was so excited about the large yellow stone, and noted that it smelled horrible. Not wanting a stinky yellow rock, Wilman left it on the beach and headed home.

whale vomit

Once he got home curiosity got the better of him, and he ran an Internet search to figure out why the rock smelled so bad. It turns out the yellow stone wasn’t a stone at all. Rather, it was a 3 kg chunk of sperm whale puke. The official name for sperm whale vomit is ambergris, and as we previously learned – the stuff is incredibly valuable. Naturally, he rushed back to the beach to claim his yellow puke rock.

Wilman has already been offered €50,000 (~$68,000) for his chunk of vomit. However, if the piece sent offer testing verifies that it is in fact sperm whale ambergris, some estimate that the large chunk could be worth as much as $180,000.

If you can believe it, sperm whale vomit is commonly used in the perfume industry. Ambergris has been used in high-end perfumes such as Chanel No. 5. Now ladies, doesn’t that make you want to run out and buy some right now?

[via Telegraph]

Eight-year-old UK Boy Chunk of Whale Vomit Worth $60,000+

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An eight-year-old boy in the UK was taking a stroll along the beach at Hengistbury Head. He discovered what he thought was a large rock laying on the beach and pick it up to carry home. The boy and his parents couldn’t identify the odd rock and later found out it wasn’t a rock at all.

whale puke

The waxy feeling, sweet smelling rock turned out to be a chunk of ambergris – also known as whale vomit. Yes, seriously. That yellow rock the boy is holding in the picture is whale puke. That may be the most disgusting thing I’ve seen all day. As it turns out whale vomit is rare and highly sought after in the perfume industry.

The material helps the scent of her perfume last longer and is worth as much as £6,300 (~$10,000 USD) per pound. The chunk the boy has is estimated to be worth £40,000 (~$63,000 USD). The lad hopes to sell the chunk of vomit and use the money for something along the lines of an animal shelter.

[via DailyMail]