Ambergris or ‘Whale Vomit’

Subject : Science / Environment

Context : Recently, there have been two cases where the Mumbai Police has arrested five persons trying to sell Ambergris or ‘whale vomit’.

Concept :

Ambergris

It is generally referred to as whale vomit.
It is a solid waxy substance that floats around the surface of the water body and at times settles on the coast.
A sperm whale eats several thousand squid beaks a day and a beak makes it way to the whale’s stomach and into its looping convoluted intestines where it becomes ambergris.
It was called as “preternaturally hardened whale dung” by a German physician Franz Schwediawer in 1783.
It is produced only by an estimated one per cent of sperm whales.
It contains alkaloids, acids, and a specific compound called ambreine, which is similar to cholesterol.

Value of Ambergris

It is referred to as floating gold because 1 kg of ambergris is worth Rs 1 crore in the international market.
The reason for its high cost is its use in the perfume market, especially to create fragrances like musk.
It is believed to be in high demand in countries like Dubai that have a large perfume market.
The ancient Egyptians used it as incense and it is also believed to be used in some traditional medicines.

Laws governing trade of Ambergris

The sperm whale is a protected species and hunting of the whale is not allowed.
The buying or selling of ambergris in India is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Sperm Whale

They are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species.
They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic.
They are named after the waxy substance i.e. spermaceti, found in their heads.
It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
They inhabit all of the world’s oceans.