The body of a sperm whale washed up on the beach on La Palma island, Canary Islands, Spain. No one knew that the intestines of the unfortunate animal contained such a huge “treasure”.
Mr. Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the Institute Animal Health and Food Security at Las Palmas University is determined to find out the cause the death of the fish.
At first, the team of experts suspected that the animal died from digestion, but when they examined the intestines, they found something quite hard inside.
“When we took it out it looked like a block of stone with a diameter of 50cm to 60cm weighing 9.5kg” said the head of the research team.
After examining the hard stone block, it was determined to be ambergris. According to current market value, its price can be up to 545,000 USD (about 13 billion VND).
Ambergris is created from the digestive system of sperm whales that like to eat squid. and cuttlefish. The hard part of the squid that cannot be digested can accumulate in the intestines. Experts believe that this is the formation of ambergris.
The reason for the ambergris was Incense is rare because for every 100 sperm whales, only one individual has ambergris inside its intestines. The origin of this “treasure” was really made clear when large-scale whaling began in the 19th century.
Sometimes lumps of ambergris were discharged into the sea, but they can become a blockage in the intestines. In some rare cases, it is released when fish carcasses decompose.
What makes ambergris so rare?
In the past, ambergris was used in the perfume industry, but today people only use it for some expensive perfumes.
Ancient Egyptians used to burn ambergris to fragrant steaming. During the “Black Death” epidemic in Europe, people believed that carrying a ball of ambergris would help avoid infection because its scent could dispel disease-causing gases. In the Middle Ages in Europe, people used this ingredient as a medicine to treat headaches, epilepsy or some other diseases.
Many people were willing to spend thousands of dollars to buy this “substance. This “waste” is regurgitated by sperm whales. Tech Times once said that this is a very rare and valuable material that is even worth more than gold.
Back to the story of the dead sperm whale that washed up on the beach in Spain Above, researcher Fernández said he had experience examining the corpses of more than 1,000 whales. With this sperm whale, it died because the mass of ambergris was too large, causing a punctured intestine.
The mass of ambergris weighing 9.5kg in the animal’s intestine is becoming a sought-after target on the market. The Institute of Animal Health and Food Security at the University of Las Palmas is looking for buyers for the item at the best price.
The money collected by experts is expected to be used to help the animals. victims of the 2021 La Palma volcanic eruption. This natural disaster destroyed hundreds of homes as well as businesses, causing more than 800 million Euros in damage.
“With the number We hope to transfer the proceeds to La Palma Island where many whales have been stranded and died,” said expert Fernández.
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