Ambergris, aka Whale Vomit Found by British Man Could Be Worth $150,000

A man found ambergris on the beach and he feels like he won the lottery as the chunk of solidified whale vomit may be worth more than $150,000.

According to the Mirror, Ken Wilman was walking his dog Madge on a beach in Morecambe, Lancashire when the boxer found the six pound yellow rock which turned out to be a substance called ambergris. The material is better known as solidified whale vomit.

Ambergris is a secretion from the intestines of sperm whales which is thought to help hard or sharp items pass through the animal's digestive tract. It is usually passed through fecal matter, but large masses are sometimes expelled through the mouth of the whale, giving it its reputation as "whale vomit."

While it may sound like something unpleasant to find, the yellow rock is actually worth big money.

Ambergris can actually be useful. After floating in the ocean and being exposed to the sun and salt for many decades, the waxy lump, which first forms in the digestive tract of sperm whales, develops a surprisingly sweet smell. The substance is in high demand by perfume makers as it can be used in perfumes to prolong their scent. A pound of the material sells for up to $10,000.

Wilman realized what he had on his hands when he did an online search. A French dealer offered Wilman over $70,000 for the ambergris, but it could be worth more than twice that.

No matter how much it's worth, there's no doubt that it will help Wilman who is unemoployed after hurting his back in an accident.

"I didn't actually realise what it was at first and couldn't understand why Madge was so interested in it," Wilman told The Mirror. "It smelled horrible. I left it, came back home and looked it up on the internet. When I saw how much it could be worth, I went back and grabbed it. "It is like walking on the beach and finding a bag of £50,000 in cash."

Wilman is going to send a small piece of the find to France to have it inspected.

"If he verifies it, it will be like winning the Lottery," Willman said.

In August, an eight year old boy also found ambergris on an English beach. The find was worth about $60,000. The Daily Mail reports that in 2008, Sean Kane, 24, and Ian Foster, 39, both from North Wales, found a whopping 110lb chunk of whale vomit, which could have been worth up to $790,000.