What Is Whale Vomit and Its Potential Use?

Why is whale vomit or more commonly known as ambergris have a very high value to it? Considering that you don't know the background of this huge rock, it will be a bit complicated to picture its potential use.

Simply put, ambergris is one of the most used substances in the world in which some of you might have it on right now. The whale vomit or ambergris is normally more expensive than silver and in some cases, the price can reach more than 30 times the value of silver.

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It is one of the key ingredients of perfume or cologne and this means that if you have ever used perfume from the brand Chanel then you have probably sprayed some of this whale vomit on yourselves. It might sound disgusting but ambergris has a feature that is not replaceable by other substances.

Some scientists believed that the ambergris was originally made out of a squid's beak which is eaten by the whale and digested as fat residues. As time went on, these residues will stay in the intestine of the whale before being vomited out.

In other words, it is not entirely made from the whale's feces, but scientists thought that it is highly possible that it came out from the same route. This is because no one has ever seen the real process of how the whale vomit really came out.

Most of the ambergris that is released into the ocean can sometimes float on the surface of the water for decades or even a century. As time progresses, the mass of the ambergris changes through the time from being disgusting and sticky to a grey hard rock after it is exposed to heat and oxidation.

What made it so special that it is used in most perfumes out there?. Well firstly, it contains a special chemical called ambrein and it acts as a fixative which means that it made the perfume's enticing smell last longer. But ambergris has its very own value which is its distinct smell.

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Specifically, it contains 20-30 chemicals in which each of which has its own smell profile. Some have the scent of tobacco while others can have the scent of mushrooms and even grass and hay. If you were to ever find fresh ambergris by any chance it will still have the stench smell like vomit.

It also comes in different unique shapes and colors ranging from black, grey, and even white. The aroma you get from ambergris will determine its quality as one processed bottle can cost anywhere from $500 or even more.

It is still currently unknown why only 1% of the whales can actually produce this highly precious vomit making it one of the rarest finds out there. This explains its high price tag as some people are willing to go to great lengths to get their hands on one.

There was once a man named Jumrus Thiachot, a fisherman from Thailand who found a huge chunk of ambergris weighing 6.5kg as he casually walks along Koh Samui beach in 2019. According to previous records and sales before this, it has been estimated that the ambergris found by Thiachot was roughly $470,000 USD.

Jumrus Thiachot with his prized ambergris

Way before the great discovery in Thailand in November 2016, 3 fishermen from Oman managed to get their share of $3 million USD after finding the ambergris weighing a staggering 80kg. That's one way to get rich quick if you find one that is.

It seems Thailand is considered a blessed country as on 23 February 2021, a woman named Siriporn Nimarin also found her ambergris which is worth $260,947 USD. She found the ambergris as she walks across the beach after the storm fades away.

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Some believed that it was unethical to sell something that comes from an endangered species like the whale's sperm for instance but in reality, nobody has ever extracted the ambergris from a live whale.

This whale vomit is almost impossible to be found and sometimes people also found it in a whale's carcass. It seems unlikely for anyone to kill the whale to obtain the ambergris due to the time it takes for the ambergris to even be produced.

In the United States of America, the sperm of the whale is protected under the Endangered Species of Act 1973 which states that the use of substances produced by the endangered animal is prohibited.

But the same thing can't be said about ambergris as it is considered as waste used to make a product. Therefore, it can be taken and used without endangering the whale itself. But be sure to keep it to yourself if you ever find one as you never know someone might try to take it from you.

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