One whale’s vomit is another man’s treasure.
A fisherman in Scotland was walking his dog along the beach in Ayrshire when his dog found a “disgusting” blob on the beach — which might be a highly valuable chunk of whale vomit.
“I work on a fishing boat, so I knew what ambergris was. I’ve never seen it before, but I’ve heard stories about it,” 37-year-old fisherman Patrick Williamson told South West News Service of the vomit, which has a rock-like consistency and is called ambergris.
“I was walking along Irvine Beach with the dog. I clocked something on the seaweed, and the dog ran over to it and dropped her ball. She doesn’t usually drop her ball, so I knew there was something there,” he said.
After his dog spotted the mysterious blob, Williamson picked it up so he could have it tested.
Ambergris has been called “the treasure of the sea” and “floating gold,” according to the Natural History Museum’s website.
Sperm whales eat creatures like squid and cuttlefish, and even though most of the indigestible parts of their prey are vomited out before digestion, occasionally it gets stuck in their intestines, where it binds together and grows for years into a mass of ambergris.
“It is thought that ambergris protects the whale’s internal organs from the sharp squid beaks,” says the museum’s site.
Scientists debate whether or not whales regurgitate the ambergris — hence why it’s called whale vomit — or if they pass it along with fecal matter.
One thing is certain: if it washes ashore, its lucky finder has struck “gold.”
Large chunks of ambergris have been sold for millions for use in the beauty industry. High-end perfumers use ambergris because it helps a scent attach to a person’s skin.
The substance is solid by weight, and a chunk found in the Canary Islands earlier this year weighing 21 pounds is valued at nearly $500,000.
In 2021, fishermen found a 280-pound chunk of whale vomit valued at around $1.5 million.
Williamson said the rock, which he believes is ambergris, weighs around 5.5 ounces or .34 pounds.
A way to test for ambergris is to heat a needle and put it on the surface of the rock. Ambergris will melt quickly, while rock won’t.
“I weighed it when I first got it, and it was about 5½ ounces. That’s not really that big compared to some other bits that have been found,” Williamson said.
“We’ve tested it with a hot needle, and it was doing the exact same thing that ambergris would. People have been saying that I can take it to Glasgow University, and they’ll test it – so I’ll be doing that on my next day off,” he added.
Williamson said after testing the rock, he doesn’t know what he’ll do with it.
“Everybody’s been messaging me – one of my pals even contacted someone at the local paper. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it! I’m on the beaches all the time. I take my dog with me wherever I go, so we’ll be looking every time we land now,” he said.
