What is whale vomit used for

Image: Shutterstock. The Bengaluru City Crime Branch police recently held 5 persons who were reportedly trying to smuggle Ambergris or sperm whale vomit, said to be priced around Rs 80 crore. In the past couple of months, there has been a spate of incidents involving seizure of Ambergris from several coastal parts of the country. The term Ambergris is derived from the Old French word Amber and gris and it translates to grey amber. When produced fresh by the whales, it has a sea-smelling, fecal odour and as it starts to solidify it develops a sweet smelling scent and is used in luxury perfumes and even in some traditional medicines.

The substance is formed due to the secretion of the bile duct in the intestines of the sperm whale and are often found floating on the sea or wash up to the shores many a times. Videos News India. Latest Stories. Mutual Funds. Worth X. Science And Future. Human Interest. Social Relevance. Healthy Living. Why is it so expensive? Why is it illegal? Reuters However, in countries like UK and the rest of the European Union, it is currently perfectly legal to salvage a lump of ambergris from beaches and sell it, either at auction or on sites such as eBay.

The Conversation 0 Start a conversation, not a fire. Sperm whales live all over the world, meaning deposits of ambergris could be found floating on any ocean or washed up on most shorelines. It is thought that pygmy Kogia breviceps and dwarf Kogia sima sperm whales produce the substance in smaller amounts, as they too have cephalopod-rich diets.

But the scent is said to be more pleasant once the mass dries out. At this stage it is often described as musky. Herman Melville even referred to this curious smell in his novel Moby Dick. He wrote of the terrible odour of a dead whale, from which 'stole a faint stream of perfume'.

Ambrein, an odourless alcohol, is extracted from ambergris and used to make a perfume's scent last longer. For hundreds of years, perfumers have categorised the quality of ambergris according to its colour, with the finest perfumes made from pure white varieties. Black ambergris is the least valuable because it contains the least ambrein. Ambergris masses change colour with oxidation, which happens when exposed to the sea and air for long periods of time.

Between black and white, the colours range from grey to brown. Ambergris can spend years floating on the ocean before it is found. The longer it is exposed to the sea, the better quality it is thought to be. Due to accessibility and cost, synthetic chemicals have now replaced ambrein in all but the most expensive perfumes.

Ambergris has been used for more than just perfume, however. Early Arab civilisations named it anbar and used it as incense, an aphrodisiac and medicine to cure many ailments, including those of the brain, heart and senses. When whaling was widespread, sperm whales were hunted for ambergris and other valuable products, such as oil. Laws regulating the collection and sale of ambergris vary around the world.

In some countries ambergris and all other whale-derived products are prohibited, but elsewhere it is either legal or a grey area. However, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES considers ambergris a waste product of sperm whales that occurs naturally, making it legal to collect it from the beach or sea.

Sabin states, 'Synthetic alternatives to ambergris do exist and the use of these should be encouraged. Why do whales sing? Scientists have only just begun to decipher the meaning of these underwater melodies. After months away, the blue whale skeleton has returned to the Museum. How did conservators get it through the Victorian doors? See the skeleton of the Thames whale ten years after it caused a stir by swimming up London's river.