Woman hits the jackpot with large piece of whale vomit

Thai native Siriporn Niamrin often goes for walks on the beach in and around the Nakhon Si Thammarat province where she lives, but her life changed forever on 23 February this year when she discovered a strange mass on the beach.

Siriporn went over to look at the strange object and discovered it had a fishy smell. Thinking it could be something she could sell, she dragged the object half a kilometre to her house before discovering it to be expensive whale vomit.

The 49-year-old woman found a smelly, oval shaped lump on the beach after a storm. The lump weighed just over 7kg and was about 30cm wide and 63cm long.

Based on recent sales of whale vomit, also known as ambergris, the lump is expected to be worth a staggering R3.8-million!

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The woman admits that she has big plans for her community should she find a buyer for the ambergris. "If I really have the genuine ambergris, I can help my community once I find a buyer for it,” Siriporn says. "I feel lucky to have found such a large piece. I hope it will bring me money. I'm keeping it safe in my house and I have asked the local council to visit to check it."

Siriporn admits that members of her community helped her identify the lump, adding that to further check whether the lump was actually ambergris, she and some other members of the community held a naked flame to some of its parts which caused it to melt. The substance then hardened again after it cooled down. 

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Now, Siriporn is waiting on experts to visit her house where they can confirm that the lump is ambergris. Its value lies in its role in the fragrance industry as high-end perfumes from houses such as Chanel and Lanvin use it to fix scent to human skin, National Geographic explains.

The Sun adds that ambergris is produced by sperm whales when bile ducts in the gastrointestinal tract make secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects. The whale them vomits the mucilage which solidifies and floats on the surface of the ocean.