Half a billion dollars worth of 'floating gold' discovered in sperm whale carcass

Scientists have discovered a “precious treasure” worth half a billion dollars in the carcass of a dead sperm whale that washed up on a beach in the Canary Island of La Palma (Spain).

Half a billion dollars worth of gold found floating in sperm whale carcass — **Ambergris taken from a sperm whale carcass in Spain.** Photo: Guardian

Rough seas and high tides made it difficult to examine the sperm whale's body, but Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the animal health and food security institute at the University of Las Palmas, was determined to find out why the animal died.

Suspecting that the whale had digestive problems, he examined its intestines and felt something hard. “What I took out was a stone about 50-60cm in diameter, weighing 9.5kg. The waves had hit the sperm whale’s body. Everyone was watching me as I returned to the beach, but they didn’t know that what I had in my hand was ambergris.”

Ambergris, often called “floating gold,” has been a rare ingredient in perfumery for centuries. The rock Mr. Fernández holds in his hand is worth an estimated $543,000.

Ambergris smells like sandalwood but also contains ambrein, an odorless alcohol that can fix and prolong the scent, making it popular with perfumers.

Only 1 in 100 sperm whales produce ambergris. Sperm whales eat large amounts of squid and cuttlefish, most of which are indigestible and are regurgitated. But some survive and spend years merging in the whale’s gut to form ambergris.

Sperm whales sometimes excrete ambergris, which is why they are often found floating in the sea. But in some cases, like the one in La Palma, it grows so large that it ruptures the whale's intestines and kills it.

Mr. Fernández said he is looking for a buyer for this ambergris and the proceeds will be transferred to support the victims of the 2021 La Palma volcanic eruption. The eruption two years ago caused over $870 million in damage and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

The US, Australia and India have banned the trade in ambergris, as part of a ban on hunting and harvesting sperm whales.

According to baotintuc.vn

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