Suspecting a beached sperm whale's death was caused by a digestive problem, a Canary Islands scientist investigated ... and discovered nearly $550,000 worth of so-called "floating gold" inside the doomed animal. Ambergris—also called by the somewhat less appealing nickname "whale vomit"—is a waxy substance that forms in the digestive tracts of about 1 in 100 sperm whales, the BBC reports. It's thought to be created by the squid and cuttlefish the whales eat; since the whales can't digest them, most parts are vomited out, but some material remains and binds together inside the intestines to form ambergris, which is highly desired by perfume makers due to its ability to fix and extend the life of a scent.
The exact way it forms is somewhat mysterious, but the New York Post reports it could be produced to protect the whale's insides from non-digestible irritants that have been ingested. Sometimes whales then excrete the substance, which is why it's called "floating gold," but in this case, the lump was so big (reportedly 20 pounds, and nearly 2 feet in diameter) it ruptured the whale's intestine, killing it.
Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the institute of animal health and food security at the University of Las Palmas (La Palma is the Canary Island where the whale washed up), discovered the lump of ambergris and says the institute is searching for a buyer. He is hoping any money made from the sale will go toward helping victims of a 2021 volcano eruption on La Palma. In some countries, including the US, India, and Australia, laws on hunting or exploiting whales mean that the trade of ambergris is banned. (More strange stuff stories.)
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