Today's Whale Vomit $tory

[underpants]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060124/od_afp/australiawhalevomitoffbeat_060124062738

SYDNEY (AFP) - A family on the south Australian coast found a piece of whale vomit on the beach that is tipped to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, national radio reported.


The chunk of ambergris, which is sought after by perfume manufacturers, weighed 14.75 kilograms (32 pounds) and is worth about 20 US dollars per gram, ABC radio said -- making a total of 295,000 dollars.

Fisherman Leon Wright and his wife Loralee found the ambergris, which sperm whales are believed to vomit to rid their intestines of hard objects such as squid beaks, on a remote beach near Streaky Bay.


Two weeks later, travelling in Leon's vehicle, they discovered that it was still there and took it home, Jury, who is advising the family, told AFP.

[matcom]

1. worth HOW MUCH?

DAMN! why oh WHY couldn't I have become a whale-vomit farmer? :cry:

i missed my calling.

wait.

if i got a hold of say 100,000 pounds of squid beaks, and a boat......

:think:

[Hugin]

2. Well, I'm off to the beach!

Anybody have any whale ipecac handy?

Maybe a giant wooden tongue depressor?

[Richardo]

3. Just curious, but how does one recognize whale vomit when one sees it?

BTW, thanks for reinstating the Daily Whale Vomit story - I missed them so.

[Midlodemocrat]

4. I was wondering the same thing.

[Hugin]

5. I've got an idea!

GOOGLE IT!
:think:

[matcom]

6. Google image result

[Richardo]

7. .

:spray:

[Hugin]

8. LOL! (I was checking out the "blow hole picture"...)

Even funnier!

I can't get through to the full sized picture though.

:rofl:

[underpants]

10. It's also an aphrodisiac

Oh and take the Testicles Quiz while you are there

http://www.discoverychannel.ca/sexfiles/season_1/sfs105b1.shtml

AMBERGRIS, OR WHALE VOMIT: ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER APHRODISIACS
By: Winnie Allingham

Would you believe that whale vomit was once cost more than twice its weight in gold?

And that this substance was believed by the Arabs and the Orient to be a potent aphrodisiac – and it has been scientifically proven to be an aphrodisiac, at least for male rats?

Ambergris is French for ‘gray amber’, to distinguish it from true amber. Ambergris is formed in the intestines of sperm whales. The whales’ intestines become clogged with the indigestible beaks of the squid and cuttlefish they eat. It’s not known whether the beaks rip open the whale’s gut and are coated with bile as a protective, yet pathological measure, or if it’s a normal biological occurrence for a whale. Whalers document that only one whale in a 1000 has ambergris, though, which does seem to indicate that ambergris only comes from ‘sick’ whales.

[underpants]

9. Well (hitches up pnats) us experience vomit wranglers know it

when we sees it ya see

(spits)

Yes the Daily Whale Vomit story threads were great back in the day huh?

[Hugin]

11. Everything you ever wanted to know about Whale Vomit...

But, may have been afraid to ask.

http://www.ambergris.co.nz/about.htm

[underpants]

12. I am learning so much today

:hurts:

[matcom]

13. NICE!

:thumbsup: