Memoirs about me, the music and the night. Memoirs about think-ism and practice-ism.
What is ambergris?
Ambergris has been a unique phenomenon for millennia. Fossilised evidence of the substance dates back 1.75 million years, and it is likely that humans have been using it for more than 1,000 years. It has been called the treasure of the sea and floating gold.Where it comes from remained a mystery for years, during which several theories were proposed, including that it was hardened sea foam or the droppings of large birds. However, it was not until large-scale whaling began in the 1800s that the identity of its sole producer, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), was uncovered.Sperm whales eat large quantities of cephalopods such as squid and cuttlefish. In most cases the indigestible elements of their prey, such as the beaks and pens, are vomited out before digestion.
But in rare circumstances these parts move into the whale’s intestines and bind together. They slowly become a solid mass of ambergris, growing inside the whale over many years.It is thought that ambergris protects the whale’s internal organs from the sharp squid beaks. There are conflicting opinions as to how ambergris emerges from the whale. Some believe that the whale regurgitates the mass, earning it its well-known nickname ‘whale vomit’. Richard Sabin, Curator of Marine Mammals at the Museum, believes differently.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASperm_whale_pod.jpg
He says, ‘Based upon recent discussion with colleagues around the world, I lean towards the theory that ambergris forms in the intestines and passes along with faecal matter, forming an obstruction in the rectum.’
Some think the whale will pass the mass, whereas others believe the obstruction grows so large it eventually fatally ruptures the whale’s rectum.
Sperm whales live all over the world, meaning deposits of ambergris could be found floating on any ocean or washed up on most shorelines.
But it is uncommon, found in less than 5% of whale carcasses.
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.