Ambergris

Ambergris (French ambre gris,”gray amber”), fatty or pitchlike substance, black or gray in color, with yellow or red striae. Sperm whales produce it in their intestines, apparently when sick. The horny, parrotlike beak of the cuttlefish, the principal food of the sperm whale, is frequently found embedded in ambergris. Ambergris probably forms around the irritating, indigestible beak.

Occasionally ambergris is taken from the bowels of the sperm whale. More frequently, however, it is found floating in tropical waters, or cast upon the seashore, in lumps of from 14 g (0.5 oz) to 91 kg (200 lb). The harder, more valuable gray ambergris accumulates in the intestine of the whale, obstructing it and eventually causing the animal's death. The softer, black variety is that which the whale has been able to eject soon after its formation. When fresh, ambergris smells strong and unpleasant. After exposure to the air it hardens and develops a sweet, musty odor.

At one time ambergris was used as a medicinal cure-all in the Orient and in Europe and as a flavoring for food in Asia. Its value now is as the best fixative in making costly perfumes; it prevents the volatile oils from evaporating too quickly. Because the demand for ambergris far exceeds the uncertain supply, the value is high. In 1955 the Yugoslav-Swiss chemist Leopold Ružička developed synthetic ambergris, which is far less expensive than the natural substance.