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Huge Chunk Of Whale Vomit Could Make £2.4 Million For Thai Fisherman

Huge Chunk Of Whale Vomit Could Make £2.4 Million For Thai Fisherman

It's gross, but it's extremely valuable

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A fisherman in Thailand could be set to earn £2.4 million after discovering a huge blob of whale vomit.

Yes, whale vomit is incredibly valuable because it's used to make luxury perfumes, and that's why this blob - potentially the biggest ever found - is so valuable to this one man.

You see, this particular cetacean secretion is known as ambergris, and is considered one of the treasures of the sea because it can be used to produce a scentless alcohol that allows perfume to smell good for longer.

Anyway, this gigantic blob of the stuff was discovered by 60-year-old fisherman Naris Suwannasang whilst he was out walking by the seaside in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of Thailand.

He spotted a load of lumps that looked a bit like rocks, and called up his cousins immediately to help him shift the unusual material.

Viral Press

Once they got it back home, they tested the substance by burning it with a lighter to check whether it melted, and to see if it gave off a distinctive musky smell.

When it did, they became more convinced that it was ambergris.

He reckons that the blob might weigh in at about 100kg, and he's already been offered about 96,000,000 Thai baht (£23,740) per kilogram for his find.

Yep, that's about £2.4 million.

Currently, he earns around £500 per month, so it's something of a pay increase.

He said: ''The businessman told me that he will come to check the quality of the ambergris later and the price shocked me.

''I could receive around 960,000THB (23,740GBP) per kilogram if the ambergris I found is the best grade.''

Now, he's got an anxious wait on his hands while the material is analysed and the quality assessed.

Viral Press

Naris added: ''I want to know more about this ambergris and want the specialist to inspect them. I also plan to go to the police and have them record my discovery as I feared that they might be stolen from my house.''

Ambergris is produced to ease the passage of large or sharp objects through the gastrointestinal tract of a sperm whale.

After secretion, the whale vomits it up and it floats across the ocean. Yum.

Despite being foul-smelling at first, once it hardens it has a lovely smell and a long-lasting aroma, which is why it's so desired in the perfume industry.

Think about that next time you're sticking on some Chanel no.5 before heading out.

Featured Image Credit: ViralPress

Topics: World News, Asia, Thailand, Weird