Explained: What is ambergris or whale vomit? What Makes ‘Floating Gold’ So Valuable

New Delhi: Thane police on Saturday seized 26 kg of ambergris, commonly known as whale vomit, and arrested two people under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Indian Penal Code. According to reports, ‘Whale Vomit’, also known as Gray Amber and ‘Floating Gold’, was worth Rs 1 crore.

Earlier this month, Pimpri Chinchwad police in Maharashtra arrested two people in Pune with 550 grams of ambergris. Earlier in November, a pharmacist in Mumbai’s Aarey was arrested for allegedly selling whale vomit worth Rs 15 crore, and In August, six people were arrested for smuggling three kilograms of the substance.

These are not isolated incidents. Smuggling of ‘whale vomit’ is common as it costs more than gold. Since June this year, at least 26 people have been arrested for illegal trade in ambergris.

But what exactly is ambergris? And what makes it so expensive?

The Origin of Ambergris or ‘Floating Gold’

Ambergris is produced by sperm whales and is often described as one of the world’s strangest natural phenomena. It is a waxy, solid and flammable substance that is produced in the intestines of sperm whales, and is used in perfumes and medicines. Although ambergris, or whale vomit, has been used for centuries, its origins remained a mystery for many years.

Ambergris is formed when whales produce a fatty, cholesterol-rich substance that acts as a defense and coats or encases the indigestible parts of the sperm whale’s prey, such as the beaks of squid and cuttlefish and The pen, according to Ambergris Connect, a UK firm that claims to connect buyers and sellers of genuine ambergris. The waxy substance allows the beak to pass through the whale’s four abdomens before being expelled into the ocean, without causing much damage to the intestinal walls.

Indigestible substances are vomited before digestion. In rare circumstances, these elements move into the whale’s intestines and bind together. Gradually, they become a solid mass of ambergris growing inside the whale, according to an article in the National History Museum (NHM). Some believe that whales regenerate their mass, and this is why ambergris earned its nickname – whale vomit.

Sperm whales only produce membranes to glue the squid’s beak together. The article states that ambergris begins as a mixture of squid beak, ambrane and another digestive product called apicoprostanol. According to an article in Prefisgol Bangor University, it turns into floating gold from a lump of poo that includes various smells of the ocean.

Ambergris, which starts out as a black lump, gradually turns white. Aging is believed to reduce the odor of feces, which is water-soluble and is gradually lost, and is also responsible for the induction of ocean odors. The smell of the sea is thick-sweet and is absorbed by the waxy ambergris in the making.

Fossil evidence of ambergris dates back to 1.75 million years. Chances are humans have been using it for over 1000 years. Ambergris has been called “treasure of the sea” and “floating gold”. It is called floating gold because it floats in the ocean after being expelled, and is one of the most sought after substances in the manufacture of perfumes.

Prior to this, it was theorized that ambergris was the hard foam or droppings of large birds. However, the identity of the sole producer of ambergris was uncovered in the 1800s. The sperm whale (Fisseter macrophyllus) is the only living organism that produces ambergris.

Richard Sabin, Curator of Marine Mammals at the NHM, said ambergris builds up in the intestines and passes with the faeces, causing an obstruction in the rectum. Since sperm whales live all over the world, ambergris can be expected to be found swimming in any ocean. However, it is uncommon, and is found in less than 5 percent of whale carcasses, he said. Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales are also believed to produce small amounts of ambergris.

What Makes Ambergris So Precious?

According to reports, 1 kg of ambergris sells for Rs 1 crore in the international market. According to the Prefisgol Bangor University article, the reason for the high prize lies in the origin of ambergris. Only sperm whales make membranes, the compound responsible for the attraction of ambergris.

Ambergris is very rare because not every sperm whale has lumps in its feces. Also these days the sperm count is also very less.

The smell of ambergris is one of its most obvious identifying traits. Whale vomit has been used in some expensive perfumes because it allows the smell to last longer. Emberine, an odorless alcohol, is believed to retain the scent of perfume for a long time. When exposed to a certain type of active oxygen, amberine forms aroma compounds that are milder and more volatile.

According to the NHM article, ambergris is said to have a foul odor after being expelled by whales. Once the mass dries, the aroma becomes more pleasant, and is often described as musky.

Perfumers classify the quality of ambergris on the basis of its color. The best perfumes are made from pure white varieties, while black ambergris is considered the least valuable because it contains the lowest ambrin. When oxidized by exposure to sea and air, ambergris changes its color. Colors can range from black and white to gray and brown. Due to the high cost of ambergris, synthetic chemicals have now replaced ambrane in the most expensive perfumes.

Early Arab civilizations used perfume made from ambergris as an incense, aphrodisiac, and a medium to heal many ailments, including those of the brain and heart.

Ambergris is putting whales at risk because sperm whales are being hunted for their vomit. However, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) considers ambergris to be a waste product that occurs naturally, making it legal to collect it from the sea.

The sale of ambergris is banned in India because sperm whales, an endangered species, are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1927. Sperm whales are mostly found in the Arabian Sea from Gujarat and the Bay of Bengal from Odisha.

A report in the New Indian Express quoted a forest official as saying that the smuggling of whale vomit is on the rise due to the lack of proper awareness among fishermen and the public about ambergris.

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