2023-07-27 06:00:08
An exceptional find has taken place on the Spanish island of La Palma: a massive piece of “floating gold” has been discovered in the stomach of a stranded sperm whale. This precious material, known as ambergris, is a waxy substance secreted by sperm whales when they swallow indigestible matter, such as squid beaks (The squid or teuthids (Teuthida) constitute an order, which appeared at the beginning of the Jurassic, of…).
Ambergris, used in perfumery, has a high market value. The piece discovered in the Canary Islands weighed approximately 9.5 kilograms (The kilogram (symbol kg) is the unit of mass of the International System of Units (SI).), or an approximate value of 500,000 euros.
Antonio Fernández RodrĂguez, animal health researcher (Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and does not consist…) at the University (A university is an institution of higher learning whose objective is the…) of Las Palmas, was examining the carcass to determine the cause of death when he discovered this piece of ambergris stuck in the intestines of the cetacean. It seems that this substance perforated the intestines of the animal (An animal (from the Latin animus, spirit, or vital principle) is, according to the classical classification, one…), causing its death and its grounding.
Only 1 to 5% of sperm whales are found with ambergris. This secretion from the bile duct normally coats the indigestible objects that the animal has ingested. They usually regurgitate these objects, but when they don’t, the ambergris protects the animal’s organs from the sharp material.
A sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) washed up on a beach in La Palma has revealed a huge piece of ambergris in its intestines.
Credit: ULPGC
This rare substance has been used for hundreds of years in perfumery because it allows perfume to stick to the skin. Although synthetic alternatives have been invented, some companies still use it for certain fragrances.
Sperm whales were once a highly sought after and hunted species, causing their population to plummet. Today, although the world population of sperm whales seems to have stabilized, the species remains vulnerable.
Ambergris, considered as animal waste, is legally resalable in many countries (Country comes from the Latin pagus which designated a territorial and tribal subdivision of extent…), despite the protected status of the sperm whale. In the European Union, of which the Canary Islands are part, the trade in ambergris is authorized. RodrĂguez hopes to sell this newly discovered piece to help victims of a volcanic eruption in La Palmas in 2021.
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