At first, she thought it was garbage, until her father told her that it was a chunk of whale vomit.
A 41-year-old woman from Terengganu discovered a substance believed to be whale vomit, or ambergris while fishing with her family near the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board jetty in Marang.
Photo via Utusan Malaysia
Aida told NST that she found the floating object at 11pm and thought that it was rubbish and pulled it ashore. The next day, she went back and found that the thing was still there so she decided to take it home with her.
Her father, who is a fisherman, was taken aback by Aida’s discovery. She was told by her father that the solid waxy object is actually whale vomit and apparently it is a rare find here in Malaysia.
“My father burned a tiny portion of it and it began to melt like a candle. It also emitted a pleasant smell,” she said.
Aida did some research on the internet and discovered that it has a very high value, “I am willing to work with any interested quarters to conduct a test on this thing that I have found so that we can validate and determine its quality.
Photo via BBC
Ambergris is said to be formed when a sperm whale throws up and its bile floats along the ocean till it washes up on shores as a hardened chunk. It’s used mainly in luxury perfumes as a fixative to help the scents last longer.
Wahh, what an interesting find!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
