If you ever go near a beach keep an eye out for this rock like thing…. because they’re worth a ton of money!
It’s actually an Ambergris which is basically a large chunk secretion from the intestines of a Sperm Whale, it comes from their Vomit or Faeces… so it weighs considerably less than a rock, is soft and has a soapy texture.
It is illegal to trade in ambergris is many countries but when it is found washed up it is finders-keepers. The stranger who picked up the 8ins by 6ins and 2.6lbs object after his dog had sniffed it out and wouldn’t leave it alone (good doggy), is selling it at auction with an estimated selling price of £7,000.
Why is it worth so much?
Perfume. Amazingly it’s used a fixative in the perfumery industry and previous finds have sold for thousands.
For the scientific among you, Ambergris is produced to protect sperm whales from the sharp beaks of squid they eat but often it is ‘thrown up’ and floats at the top of the sea.
