Well, that stinks.
A father from Scotland claims to have discovered a rare chunk of whale vomit worth more than $50,000 — but experts have told him it’s nothing but “sewage grease.”
Ronnie Humphreys, 42, says the nearly 4.5-pound lump of whale puke, known as ambergris, was found by his 5-year-old son while the two were walking on Leven Beach in Fife on Sunday.
The waxy substance is produced in sperm whales’ intestines and is highly sought after by perfume producers to make their scents last longer.
Ambergris can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — if it’s real.
“It’s definitely whale vomit. We did everything at home and it passed all the tests,” Humphreys, a father of seven, told South West News Service.
Humphreys’ son, Alfie, had stood on top of the chunk while looking for crabs but it “squashed under his feet, kind of like wax.”
“I picked it up and I kind of knew what it was — but thought there’s no way I could be this lucky,” Humphreys, who is unemployed, said. “I left it and continued our walk but something told me to go back and pick it up.”
He then performed a series of his own tests at home, which included using a hot needle to see if the substance melted. The pungent smell — like horse manure — also indicated to Humphreys that the substance was actually ambergris.
Ambergris is believed to be formed when the whales eat irritants — like beaks — and in response produce a slippery substance to protect their digestive organs.
Humphreys said the clumps had squid beaks in it, adding to his certainty that he’s struck gold.
“The dog wouldn’t leave it alone and a guy at Citizens Advice in the labs agreed that it’s whale vomit,” he said. “It ticks all the boxes so I’m confident. I’ve got no problem getting it tested too before I put it up for auction.”
However, an expert at Ambergris Europe — which specializes in identifying the substance — said that the find appears to be nothing more than “sewage grease.”
“It is degraded oil from wastewater — sewage grease,” said a spokesperson, who reviewed photos of the marine lump.
“This material is a very common human pollution on the beaches of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic,” the spokesperson added.
Undeterred, Humphreys said he’s still going to try and sell the mystery chunk.
High-quality ambergris can fetch up to $25 a gram — making Humphreys’ discovery potentially worth over $50,000.
The money would be “life-changing,” Humphreys said.
“We don’t want to move areas or anything but the money would make sure all my kids are secure. It would change our lives,” he said.
In May, a 20-pound lump of ambergris was found inside of the colon of a beached whale in the Canary Islands.
Measuring 33-feet long and 2 feet in diameter, was estimated to be worth up to $250,000.
In June 2021, a Yemen fisherman caught a lucky break when he and his crew accidentally caught a 280-pound of ambergris worth $1.5 million.
Earlier that year, a 15-pound piece of ambergris worth $230,000 washed up on the shore of Thailand and was nabbed by another lucky fisherman, who said he was “not in a hurry to sell this. An agent will find an international buyer for it.”