Australian whale vomit find worth a fortune

[MisterK]

SYDNEY (AFP) - A family on the south Australian coast found a piece of whale vomit on the beach that is tipped to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, national radio reported.
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The chunk of ambergris, which is sought after by perfume manufacturers, weighed 14.75 kilograms (32 pounds) and is worth about 20 US dollars per gram, ABC radio said -- making a total of 295,000 dollars.

Fisherman Leon Wright and his wife Loralee found the ambergris, which sperm whales are believed to vomit to rid their intestines of hard objects such as squid beaks, on a remote beach near Streaky Bay.

Loralee was reluctant to accept her husband's suggestion that they throw the mysterious, solid, fatty object into the back of her four-wheel-drive vehicle, so they left it there, said local marine expert Ken Jury.

Two weeks later, travelling in Leon's vehicle, they discovered that it was still there and took it home, Jury, who is advising the family, told AFP.

Ambergris, which floats after being vomited by the whales, is a rare find and has to a large extent been replaced in the fragrance industry by synthetics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060124...t_060124062738

[lesta311]

I didn't know whale vomit was that valuable. Anyone up for a beach trip?

[Indy]

The chunk of ambergris, which is sought after by perfume manufacturers...

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww I wonder if these people that buy this know what they are wearing!

Two weeks later, travelling in Leon's vehicle, they discovered that it was still there and took it home, Jury, who is advising the family, told AFP.

....WHY on earth would you do that? They did not appear to realize it's value! So not only are we talking about a blob of whale barf, we are talking about whale barf that has been sitting on the beach for TWO WEEKS!!

[jmur5074]

....WHY on earth would you do that? They did not appear to realize it's value! So not only are we talking about a blob of whale barf, we are talking about whale barf that has been sitting on the beach for TWO WEEKS!!

Eewww.....moldy whale barf.

[Cheech]

If its worth 295,000$ I will rub that barf on me! I dont care!! I dont care if it was shit, I would pick it up with my hands and hand deliver it to whoever wanted to buy it for 295,000$!!! You know how many hookers you can buy with that?!

[MisterK]

Hmmm.. 295,000 $1 hookers or 1 $295,000 hooker...

[Indy]

Hmmm.. 295,000 $1 hookers or 1 $295,000 hooker...

Or 295,000 junior bacon cheeseburgers!

My point earlier was that these people apparently had no CLUE that the barf blob was valuable. So why would they scoop it up?

[Cheech]

Yeah thats true....


but all those bacon cheeseburgers will make you fat. Then you cant get hookers cause your fat.

[Indy]

Then you cant get hookers cause your fat.

No but you can get all sorts of other exciting things from them...

[Cheech]

No but you can get all sorts of other exciting things from them...

Really ? Damn I never get anything cool from them . Just this burning sensation from when I pee.

[Indy]

Really ? Damn I never get anything cool from them . Just this burning sensation from when I pee.

Exactly...