A dead sperm whale recently washed ashore on the Spanish island of La Palma, which is part of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.
University of Las Palmas animal health and food security expert Antonio Fernández Rodríguez was one of the first to research the dead whale and how and why it died. He eventually concluded the whale died of digestion issues, probably sepsis caused by an infection inside its bowels, and had a closer look into its colon.
What he and other scientists found inside the whale's intestines is fortune, specifically, a hard, rocky substance called ambergris worth a staggering £425,000 ($500,000).
"What I took out was a stone about 50-60 cm in diameter weighing 9.5kg," Rodríguez said.
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What is Ambergris?
Also known as "floating gold" for its value, ambergris is an extremely rare substance used in perfumes the world over for centuries.
The substance was produced from the built-up remains of undigested squid and cuttlefish that have not been vomited out. The smell of ambergris is similar to sandalwood.
Ambergris is so rare that an ounce of it would cost thousands of dollars.
While it is illegal to use the substance in perfumes in the US, ambergris is still a common ingredient in French perfumes.
Natural History Museum marine mammals curator Richard Sabin told Business Insider that while whales are now protected worldwide, they "could still be at risk in the future." He added that synthetic alternatives to ambergris exist and using such "should be encouraged" in order to "prevent whales being viewed in any way as a resource that humans can exploit."
The institute is now looking for buyers for the ambergris they discovered in the hopes the funds would go towards helping the victims of the La Palma volcano eruption in 2021, which caused over €800 million ($879.9 million) in damage.
"The law is different in every country," Rodríguez said. "In our case, I hope the money will go to the island of La Palma, where the whale ran aground and died."
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