Fisherman In Thailand Finds Lump Of Whale Vomit Worth Almost Rs 2 Crore

Last year, a couple¡¯s fortune shone as they came across whale vomit on a beach in Thailand.

Now, reportedly, a Thai fisherman had an incredibly fortunate catch of the same. The discovery of the waxy lump that could be worth as much as ? 210,000 (Rs 2.10 crore, approx).
According to a report, sometime after docking his boat at Samila Beach in southern Songkhla Province on January 6, Chalermchai Mahapan, 20, came across the seven-kilogram lump.

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He said ¡®he had been out catching mullet when the weather suddenly changed and he was forced to return to shore early¡¯. Chalermchai said he spotted a white lump in the sand that was being moved by currents towards the beach as he pushed his ship to port.

The fisherman thought at first that it was just an ordinary rock, but he suspected it could be something of worth after taking a closer look.

The mass was brought home by Chalermchai to try to work out what it could be.

¡°I had no idea what this thing was until I asked the elderly villagers here who informed me about ambergris,¡± he reportedly said, referring to the substance.

Ambergris is formed from a secretion of the bile duct in the intestines of the sperm whale. Most of the times it is found floating on the sea or washed up on coastlines however in some cases it is found in the abdomens of dead sperm whales too.

Representational Image/Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers

While scientists don¡¯t have an exact reason for why ambergris is produced in the whale¡¯s body, some theories suggest that the substance is produced by the whale's gastrointestinal tract to ease the passage of hard, sharp objects that it may have eaten.

Ambergris is helpful in making expensive varieties of perfumes as it allows the scent to last longer, thanks to the ambrein molecule, which on exposure to a certain type of activated oxygen, exudes fragrance compounds that are known to be lighter and more volatile.

The reason this particular whale vomit is considered to be so expensive is that it is rare and difficult to procure as most of it is found to float in the ocean and very rarely does it come in direct contact of humans.

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The fisherman is in no hurry to sell his rare find, he plans to wait for an international buyer to get the best price.

Also Read: Researchers Have Found Killer Whale Can Imitate Human Speech