Ambergris: The Secret Treasure of Sperm Whales

Sperm whales are known for their varied diet. They sometimes consume indigestible foods and objects. Notably, studiessuggest that the very hard, pointy beaks of squids can pierce the walls of their digestive system. These items can be expelled directly by the animal or they can accumulate until they form a compact mass, which is ambergris. Most of the clumps end up being evacuated naturally when the animal defecates. However, when this fecal material accumulates in the rectum, it can cause extreme distension in the cetacean and, ultimately, death. It is at this time that the ambergris is released into the sea, according to studies conducted by marine biologist Robert Clarke, who has studied the substance for more than 50 years.

Inside the intestine, ambergris is a semi-viscous black liquid with a strong, unpleasant odour characterized by the smell of sperm whale excrement. Once outside the sperm whale, the substance is exposed to sunlight and air, which quickly cause it to oxidize, harden and change colour from brown to grey or white. Its consistency is solid and crumbly, like dry clay.

Robert Clarke has suggested that ambergris is formed from coprolites (fossilized feces) transformed during digestion in the sperm whale’s second intestine. This process begins when indigestible masses, normally evacuated by means of vomiting, pass through the duodenum. When these masses block the intestine, the intestinal wall absorbs water, gradually solidifying the fecal matter through the agglomeration of additional layers. Ambergris is thus the result of a secretion composed of intestinal bacteria (e.g. Spirillum recti physeteris) and substances from the organs of certain types of squid.

Clark’s study states that ambergris is produced by both male and female sperm whales and pygmy sperm whales.

His conclusions are based on samples collected by whalers during their forays for sperm whales. Although the dwarf sperm whale, which feeds on squid and has a similar anatomy, may also produce ambergris, research on this subject remains limited. Other cetaceans such as pilot whales and beaked whales also consume cephalopods, but no study has ever confirmed the presence of ambergris in these species.

Long before its origins were known, the ambergris trade was already widespread. Due to its rarity and unique properties, it was sometimes worth more than its weight in gold!

In China in 2000 BCE, it was believed to be the saliva of a dragon living on rocks in the seas, drooling in the oceans. In 1491, an encyclopedia on medicinal plants indicated that ambergris was tree sap, a type of sea foam or even a kind of fungus. By 1667, no fewer than 18 different hypotheses were put forward, claiming that ambergris could be produced by various animals such as seals, crocodiles, birds, and even other creatures. In the 10^th century, Arabic medicine supposed that the substance came from an underwater fountain. Other recorded reports suggested that the substance came from a fruit, the liver of a fish, or even a gemstone.

The ambergris trade was so important that 16^th century reports indicate that imports from Asia to Europe were sometimes replaced by beeswax, tree resin or aloe wood shavings. Dealers and collectors of the precious material often found or bought quantities ranging from tiny pebbles to human-sized blocks, but which were actually stones, rubber, sea sponges or even animal excrement.

Only when sperm whales began to be hunted commercially and whalers would open up the carcasses of the cetaceans did humans discover the source of this substance, finally cracking the mystery of its true nature. Between the 1940s and the 1970s, despite the intensive hunting of 300 to 700 sperm whales per year, only about one hundred kilograms of ambergris were harvested, suggesting that only a fraction of these animals produced this precious material.

Today, ambergris can sell for US$25,000 a kilo. Contemporary sellers claim that this substance is hard to find, but easy to sell. It can be found at any coastal site where sperm whales are present.

Unlike other valuable products, ambergris cannot be mined or cultivated, which drives sellers and collectors to comb the coastlines. Before analysis, they may inadvertently find themselves with similar looking objects such as solidified palm oil, dog feces or other waste that has washed up onto the shore. Young male sperm whales occasionally make incursions into the St. Lawrence Estuary or even the Gulf in search of new summer feeding grounds. Keep your eyes open, as you never know what you might find on the St. Lawrence coast!

Despite the advent of synthetic substitutes, demand for ambergris remains strong. In France, prestigious perfume makers still prefer this natural substance. In the Middle East, it is sought after for its aphrodisiac properties. On the Indian subcontinent, it is prized for its uses in Ayurvedic medicine.

In some regions, the trade in ambergris is illegal. For example, in the United States, sperm whales are an endangered species, making any trade in ambergris unlawful under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. In India, ambergris is owned by the central government and unauthorized sale is prohibited. However, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the harvesting of ambergris that has naturally washed ashore is not considered harmful to the species, which means it can be traded in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

Despite its continued market value, ambergris is no longer actively studied by scientists since the emergence of synthetic substitutes. It now remains a rare biological and chemical curiosity.