Owlscrying Posted March 12, 2008 #1 Share Posted March 12, 2008 A man from Portland, Victoria has found a lump of ambergris, or whale spit. The rare find had washed up on a beach. It comes from sperm whales and is used by the perfume industry. The seven-kilogram lump could be worth more than $100,000. The man who found it says the whale gets a build-up in the back of its throat after eating a giant squid. He says the whale coughs it up and the spit can float around for up to ten years. The only sting in the tail is that it is illegal to sell ambergris. go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shapeshifter Posted March 12, 2008 #2 Share Posted March 12, 2008 ooooo thats gotta hurt!! Finding something you know is valueable and probably easy to offload but is illegal to sell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalienan Posted March 12, 2008 #3 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Being that this has been made public, the poor guy wouldn't even be able to sell it to the blackmarket....So what do you do with a lump of whale spit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverCougar Posted March 12, 2008 #4 Share Posted March 12, 2008 the fact that the purfume industry uses ..whale spit... is even more disgusting a thought then finding it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravergirl Posted March 12, 2008 #5 Share Posted March 12, 2008 why is it illegal to sell whale spit that can only be obtained through natural means. how does he know what it is. and what perfume is it in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papaver Posted March 12, 2008 #6 Share Posted March 12, 2008 The only sting in the tail is that it is illegal to sell ambergris. go This is simply not true and it can be bought, at great expense, from many retailers the world over. Here's just one example - http://www.profumo.it/perfume/prodotto.asp?pid=2955 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finsup22 Posted March 12, 2008 #7 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Whale loogies are worth $? Im in the wrong buisness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosaM Posted March 12, 2008 #8 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I swear this has come up before on this Board .. Thats one rich guy now lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted March 12, 2008 #9 Share Posted March 12, 2008 why is it illegal to sell whale spit that can only be obtained through natural means. Probably to stop people trying to capture sperm whales in order to get some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finsup22 Posted March 12, 2008 #10 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Probably to stop people trying to capture sperm whales in order to get some. Ya, grabing a sperm whale by the throught, roughing it up a little, and then telling him to "cough it up"..... wait that kinda sounds like Saturday night at my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatus Legionis Posted March 12, 2008 #11 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Whale loogies are worth $? Im in the wrong buisness. yeah.. Maybe am gonna wait for 10 years or more to find that perfect spit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear's Quest Posted March 12, 2008 #12 Share Posted March 12, 2008 the fact that the purfume industry uses ..whale spit... is even more disgusting a thought then finding it... Nothing but the best whale spit on your body to make you feel attractive. Blechh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fierydodo Posted March 12, 2008 #13 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Actually, I think ambergris comes from the stomach or something. Does that mean it's not spit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fierydodo Posted March 12, 2008 #14 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Actually, I think ambergris comes from the stomach or something. Does that mean it's not spit? What I meant to say is that makes it whale sick...almost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatus Legionis Posted March 12, 2008 #15 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Actually, I think ambergris comes from the stomach or something. Does that mean it's not spit? I think it's just a general term used by the people. Ambergris (Ambra grisea, Ambre gris, ambergrease, or grey amber) is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Ambergris has a peculiar sweet, earthy odor (similar to isopropyl alcohol); though it has now been largely displaced by synthetics, the principal historical use of ambergris was as a fixative in perfumery.-wiki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtDzyn Posted March 12, 2008 #16 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) And where do you suppose spit comes from? LOL nevermind, scratch that. It seems my mind isn't working yet today Edited March 12, 2008 by crtbud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBe1 Posted March 12, 2008 #17 Share Posted March 12, 2008 If you read Melville's Moby Dick, there is a passage regarding harvesting ambergris from a killed whale. All of the crew were pretty happy because they knew that ambergris was so valuable. During the whaling heyday, ambergris was one of the most valuable whale products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverCougar Posted March 13, 2008 #18 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Nothing but the best whale spit on your body to make you feel attractive. Blechh! *FLAILS* EW EW EW EW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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