** Yes, you heard that right whale vomit can make you filthy rich as much as $7000 for a lump.**
Whale vomit is worth millions due to its use in fine perfumery and medical industries.
Omani fishermen struck an unlikely jackpot recently—they are set to become millionaires after they found a foul-smelling, icky, wax-like substance floating on the surface of the ocean. Khalid al Sinani and his colleagues found 80kg of whale vomit, worth more than 1.5 million dollars.
Sounds strange that a whale's filthy vomit can be so highly prized? Whale vomit, known as ambergris, is an invaluable asset for the high-end perfume industry.
This wax-like slurry is a secretion of the bile duct in the intestines of male sperm whales after they dine on squid to protect their sensitive stomach lining from the squid's pointed beak, which they excrete into the sea. Ambergris could float around in the ocean for years, until somebody spots the treasure. The whales excrete hundreds of pounds at a time, but the viscous, black ambergris breaks up into lumps when it hits the waves. The saline sea water oxidises grey-coloured ambergris, forming a white film coating around it. Hence, the longer it has been at sea, lighter will be the hue and higher the worth in the market.
• How do you Identify ?
One test for ambergris is to poke it with a hot needle and a liquid should ooze out – try the “hot needle test” with a candle at home. But many waxy objects melt when exposed to heat. As for the white smoke, most objects immersed in water take on some of it. Most wet objects burned give off white smoke, similar to what you might think of coal-fired power stations.