Gray amber. Have you ever heard of this unique compound? Not long ago we invited you to learn about a curious incident in a Russian region, when on a stormy day, many amber stones appeared on the beach, old fossilized resin where it is common to find small microorganisms.
Now...What about the gray amber? Is it resin too? Not at all.Many biologists call it vulgarly "whale vomit." The reason they prefer to call it that is not to give it too much importance, to prevent indiscriminate hunting of sperm whales in search of that Bile secretion of these beautiful animals, for which you get to pay up to 50,000 euros for a few grams.
The reason? Gray amber is much appreciated by the perfumeries market.Surprised? We give you all the information below.
Gray amber or whale vomit
We will keep the definition that many biologists give us, especially to avoid being traded with the gray amber , with this intestinal fluid of sperm whales that the perfume industry so much appreciates.It is true that it is common to find gray amber floating in the oceans, there was a time when hunting was used of these animals to also obtain this substance.
But what is gray amber really? To understand this, we will give an example.The sperm whale's "favorite dish" is squid.When they are hunted in these depths where these mysterious creatures usually inhabit, they must be processed along nothing more and nothing less than four stomachs.organic sequence by which, undo the remains of the squid through strong gastric acids , where in the end, all those elements that do not provide any nutrient, such as the squid's beak, must be separated.And how do you get these pieces of waste to the intestines? Through a type of bile, which in the end, reacts by becoming gray amber, and which can reach the exterior many times.
This unique « organic rest » can be found on the beaches , floating in the ocean, or obviously in the sperm whales' own abdomen, although we have to say that there are people specialized in looking for gray amber along the beaches, given the high prices that are usually paid for, but generally they are very few grams that manage to "rescue" themselves from the tides.
It is also said that when one finds this biliary secretion of the sperm whale, it reacts to the foul smell it gives off, however, something happens after a few seconds The smell is intoxicating and the more you smell it, the more you get it.That's why it is so appreciated by perfume companies.Its secret is in a component c so «magical» called (-) Ambreino, a triterpene alcohol that despite having no smell, when coming into contact with the air and the sun, is producing irresistible volatile compounds with incredible aromas.so to speak, from the most fetid smell to the most intoxicating fragrance, that is why the gray amber is so desired in the perfume industry, but since its trade is prohibited, a synthetic compound is always used .
Be that as it may, we will always prefer to keep this synthetic substitute, rather than to promote the attempt to obtain gray amber in any way that can harm the always incredible and beautiful sperm whales.Do you agree?
If you liked this article, we also invite you to learn more about sperm whales , the giants that inspired Moby Dick.
Image: p eterned
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