What Is Ambergris? The Sperm Whale Substance Explained

How does ambergris form?

The sperm whale eats huge numbers of squid, and squid beaks are made of a tough material that the whale cannot digest. Most beaks collect in the stomach and are vomited up from time to time. A few pass farther into the intestine, where their sharp edges can irritate the gut.

According to the most widely accepted explanation, set out by whale biologist Robert Clarke in 2006, the intestine then produces a fatty substance that builds up around the beaks and binds them into a solid mass. Over time this mass can grow very large. Many lumps of ambergris contain squid beaks, which is how scientists made the link. The squid themselves are described in Do sperm whales fight giant squid?

Ambergris is rare. It is thought to form in only about 1% of sperm whales, and it is found almost exclusively in this species. Most lumps are probably passed out with the whale’s feces, but some may grow so large that they block the gut, and large pieces have been found inside dead whales. In 2023, a veterinary pathologist examining a sperm whale that had died on La Palma in the Canary Islands found a lump of about 9.5 kg (21 lb) in its intestine.

What does ambergris look and smell like?

Ambergris is found in lumps that usually weigh from about 15 g (0.5 oz) to 50 kg (110 lb) or more. Colors range from creamy white through gray and brown to almost black, and the surface is often waxy or crusty. Ambergris is lighter than seawater, so it floats.

Fresh ambergris is soft and has a strong, fecal smell. As it floats for months or years, exposed to sunlight, air and salt water, it slowly hardens and its scent changes. Aged ambergris is often described as sweet, earthy, marine and musky, and good pieces are far more pleasant to smell than fresh ones.

The change has a chemical explanation. The main ingredient of ambergris is a nearly odorless substance called ambrein. Over time, light and air break ambrein down into other compounds, especially ambroxide, which carry the famous ambergris scent.

Why is ambergris used in perfume?

Perfumers value ambergris as a fixative, an ingredient that slows the evaporation of other scents so that a perfume lasts longer on the skin. It also adds a warm, rounded note of its own. For centuries, aged ambergris was one of the most expensive materials in perfumery.

People used it in many other ways too. Ancient Egyptians burned ambergris as incense, Europeans once believed it could ward off the plague, and it has been used to flavor food and drinks. A dish of eggs with ambergris was reportedly a favorite of King Charles II of England.

Today, natural ambergris has mostly been replaced. Chemists can now make ambroxide and similar compounds in the laboratory, and these supply the ambery notes in most modern perfumes. Natural ambergris tincture is still used in a small number of luxury fragrances.

Where is ambergris found?

Because it floats, ambergris can drift across oceans before it reaches land. It has been found on coasts around the world, including the Atlantic coasts of Europe, the Bahamas, southern Africa, Madagascar, the Maldives, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Finds are rare and unpredictable. Most people who think they have found ambergris have actually picked up something else. Lumps of palm oil or paraffin wax washed off ships, animal fat, rubber, sponges and pumice are all common look-alikes. Reliable identification usually needs an expert, and sometimes a laboratory test for ambrein.

Occasionally, a large find makes headlines. In 2021, fishermen off Yemen recovered a 127 kg (280 lb) lump, valued at about US$1.5 million.

Is ambergris legal to collect and sell?

The law varies from country to country. Under CITES, the international treaty that regulates trade in wildlife products, ambergris that a sperm whale has naturally excreted is considered a waste product, not a part of the whale, so it is not covered. National laws are often stricter:

• United States: buying and selling ambergris is generally prohibited, because the sperm whale is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
• Australia: commercial import and export are banned under federal law, and states have their own rules.
• India: possessing or selling ambergris is illegal under the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
• United Kingdom and European Union: beached ambergris can usually be collected and sold legally.

Anyone who finds a suspected lump should check the rules where they live before trying to sell it.

Myths and facts about ambergris

Myth: ambergris is whale vomit. It is often called that, but most evidence points to ambergris forming in the intestine and leaving the whale with its feces.

Myth: whales are killed for ambergris. Ambergris was once taken from whales killed by whalers, but commercial whaling of sperm whales ended in the 1980s, and modern ambergris comes from beaches, the sea surface or whales that have already died.

Fact: it is truly rare. With only about 1% of sperm whales producing it, and lumps spending years at sea, finding real ambergris is a matter of great luck.