Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

'Gold' worth $543,000 found in dead whale on Canary Islands shore

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 5 Jul 2023 08:53
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

Ambergris, a rare substance often known as floating gold, is and has been the treasure of perfumers for centuries, and the one Fernández found was worth about €500,000 ($543,442).

  • x
  • A humpback whale leaps out of the water in the channel off the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii in 2005 (AP)
    A humpback whale leaps out of the water in Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii in 2005. (AP)

After a sperm whale was found washed up dead on a beach in the Canary Island of Las Palmas in Spain, the head of the Institute of Animal Health and Food Security at the University of Las Palmas, Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, decided to investigate, and little did he know that he would find treasure.

Upon suspecting the cause of death to be digestive, the whale's colon was inspected and something hard was found stuck to the intestine.

“What I took out was a stone about 50-60cm in diameter weighing 9.5kg,” he said, adding, “The waves were washing over the whale. Everyone was watching when I returned to the beach but they didn’t know that what I had in my hands was ambergris.”

The rare substance, often known as floating gold, ambergris has been the treasure of perfumers for centuries, and the one Fernández found was worth about €500,000 ($543,442). With its woody scent similar to sandalwood, it contains ambrein, which is an odorless alcohol able to extend the life of scents, making it more desirable to the fragrance industry.

Related News

18-meter whale beaches itself and dies on shore in Indonesia

The US, Australia, and India have banned the ambergris trade as part of a ban on the hunting and exploitation of whales.

Read next: 18-meter whale beaches itself and dies on shore in Indonesia

Produced by about one in 100 sperm whales, ambergris is the product of a whale eating large quantities of squid and cuttlefish, and the remains that are not vomited out bind together in the whale’s intestines to form ambergris.

However, it is sometimes excreted, which explains why it can be found commonly floating in the sea, but if it grows too large, just like the one in Las Palmas, it can rupture the intestine and kill the whale.

Fernández stated that his institute is looking for a potential buyer, with hopes that the profit would go toward helping victims of the volcano that erupted on the island in 2021, causing more than €800 million ($869 million) in damage.

“The law is different in every country,” Fernández said. “In our case, I hope the money will go to the island of La Palma, where the whale ran aground and died.”

  • sperm whale
  • Spain
  • ambergris
  • Gold
  • Canary Islands

Most Read

Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS