Known as the "floating gold" with a value of 3.9 million yuan and 9.5 kilograms of ambergris fragrance, a whale | ambergris fragrance | corpse was discovered inside the body of a sperm whale
When a sperm whale is washed up on a beach on the island of La Palma Canary in Spain, no one would have thought that there was a huge treasure hidden inside its body.
Staff are inspecting sperm whales
According to The Guardian on July 4th, last month, a stranded sperm whale appeared on the Nogales Beach on Lapalma Island in the Canary Islands, attracting the attention of zoologists.
Antonio Fernandes Rodriguez, director of the Institute for Animal Health and Food Security at the University of Las Palmas, wanted to figure out the cause of sperm whale death, but due to the impact of rising tides, autopsy became difficult.
After several days of research, Rodriguez suspected that sperm whales had digestive system problems. He examined the colon and felt something hard inside.
Staff are inspecting sperm whales
![Known as the "floating gold" with a value of 3.9 million yuan and 9.5 kilograms of ambergris fragrance, a whale | ambergris fragrance | corpse was discovered inside the body of a sperm whale](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/000fda4350f327ecbb14a5df9c4e791d.jpg)
He reached in and took out a stone with a diameter of about 50-60 centimeters, weighing 9.5 kilograms.
Rodriguez described the scene of him holding the "stone" as "the waves kept washing away the whales. When I returned to the beach, everyone was watching, but they didn't know that I was holding ambergris."
This is a piece of ambergris worth 500000 euros.
The Dragon's Saliva Fragrance in Whale Bodies
Dragon's saliva fragrance is a rare substance known as "floating gold". This is a solid waxy combustible substance that appears silver gray or black and is renowned for its unique sweet earthy aroma.
The exact origin of ambergris is still a mystery for scientists. Public information shows that ambergris is essentially a dried product of the intestinal secretions of sperm whales, a member of the sperm whale family. Whales eat a large amount of squid and cuttlefish, most of which cannot be digested and are spit out. But there are also some residues that have been combined in the intestines of whales for many years, forming ambergris.
![Known as the "floating gold" with a value of 3.9 million yuan and 9.5 kilograms of ambergris fragrance, a whale | ambergris fragrance | corpse was discovered inside the body of a sperm whale](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/79868956d632b90d25cf86debe2a88c7.jpg)
Some sperm whales will spit it out, while others will be excreted from the body through the intestines, with only a small number of sperm whales keeping it inside. Sometimes, there have been cases where the ambergris is too large, leading to the rupture of whale intestines and death.
The ambergris that is discharged into the sea initially appears light black, but under the action of seawater, it gradually turns gray, light gray, and finally white. In history, people mainly used it as a fixative for perfume. For centuries, ambergris has been the holy grail of perfumers.
Only one in every 100 sperm whales will produce ambergris, which leads to the scarcity of ambergris. So far, ambergris is still a treasure pursued by perfume companies.
According to the New York Post, the British Museum of Natural History stated that ambergris was used as a medicine in early Arab culture to treat many diseases, including brain, heart, and sensory disorders, and was also used as an aphrodisiac.
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, it is illegal to hunt sperm whales almost anywhere on Earth, and sperm whales have been listed as endangered mammals.
In order to protect whales, many countries have banned the trade of ambergris.
![Known as the "floating gold" with a value of 3.9 million yuan and 9.5 kilograms of ambergris fragrance, a whale | ambergris fragrance | corpse was discovered inside the body of a sperm whale](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/d00743a7b2be325115bf4d9af59697ba.jpg)
Rodriguez conducted autopsies on over 1000 whales and concluded that it was sepsis caused by ambergris that led to the death of the sperm whale.
In June 2021, a Yemeni fisherman accidentally caught 280 pounds of ambergris, worth $1.5 million.
At present, Rodriguez's research institute is looking for buyers who hope to use the funds raised to help victims of the volcano that erupted in La Palma in 2021, causing over 80 billion euros in damage and destroying hundreds of houses and businesses.
"The laws of each country are different," Rodriguez said. "As far as we are concerned, I hope this money can flow to the island of La Palma because whales are stranded and dead here."
American novelist Herman Melville spent a whole chapter introducing ambergris as a side note in his novel Moby Dick. He described it as "soft, waxy, fragrant and spicy, mainly used in perfume". He wrote: "Then, who would have thought that such elegant ladies and gentlemen would decorate themselves with what they found in the intestines of sick whales! However, the fact is so!"