Scientist Probes Cause of Whale's Death, Finds a Weird Treasure
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.
Source: Newser
