IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

Ambergris                                         

10th December, 2021 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

  • Copyright infringement is not intended

Context: The Crime Branch of the Pimpri Chinchwad police has arrested two persons in Pune and seized 550 grams of ambergris, also known as ‘floating gold’.

About Ambergris:

  • It is used for making perfumes.
  • It is produced in the stomach of sperm whales when indigestible parts move into the intestines and bind together. 
  • They slowly become a solid mass, growing over many years. 
  • When the animal vomits the mass, it floats a foot below the surface of the sea. Only those with knowledge of it can collect it.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-ambergris-floating-gold-7662578/