A sperm whale washed up on La Palma beach in the Canary Islands, concealing a hidden treasure in its entrails; a piece of floating gold—ambergris. The stone-like substance, worth approximately €500,000.
Picture: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the Institute of Animal Health and Food Security at the University of Las Palmas, embarked on a postmortem examination to determine the cause of death. Amidst challenging conditions caused by heavy seas and a rising tide, Fernández made a surprising discovery.
Inspecting the whale’s colon, Fernández encountered a hard object adhered to the intestine. Little did onlookers know that he was about to unveil a piece of floating gold—ambergris.
Ambergris is an important ingredient in perfumes, such as Chanel no 5. It is formed after a giant squid is eaten by a sperm whale, and it cannot digest the squid’s beak., which is discarded in the faeces.
Ambergris, produced by around 1% of sperm whales, is formed from undigested squid and cuttlefish remnants that aggregate in the whales’ intestines over time. While ambergris is often excreted and found floating in the sea, in this case, the ambergris grew too large, causing the whale’s intestine to rupture and leading to its death.
Ambergris extracted from the beached sperm whale. Picture: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Notably, ambergris possesses a woody aroma resembling sandalwood and contains ambrein, an odourless alcohol that can enhance and prolong scents. This quality has made it highly desirable among perfumers for centuries.
The trade of ambergris has been prohibited in the US, Australia, and India as part of their broader bans on whale exploitation. However, the Institute of Animal Health and Food Security is seeking a buyer for the ambergris found in the La Palma whale. The funds raised from the sale will contribute to supporting the victims of the 2021 La Palma volcano eruption, which caused extensive damage and destruction.
The researchers involved in this discovery hope that they can use the funds raised from the discovery can go towards helping the victims of the volcano that erupted on La Palma in 2021.
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