Ambergris

In news- The police and forest department recently arrested six men for smuggling two kgs of ambergris in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi.

About Ambergris-

It is commonly known as whale vomit.
It is an extremely expensive substance used in manufacturing perfume.
It is a waxy substance formed inside the stomach of sperm whales which hunt and eat giant squids and colossal squids.
It is formed by the beaks of squid that are partially digested by sperm whales and then released into the sea.
This whale excretion is so valuable it is referred to as floating gold.
As per the latest estimates, 1 kg of ambergris is worth Rs 1 crore in the international market.
Ancient Egyptians used it as incense.
It is also believed to be used in some traditional medicines.
Since the sperm whale is a protected species, hunting of the whale is not allowed.
However, smugglers are known to have illegally targeted the fish in order to obtain the valuable Ambergris from its stomach.