Moby Sick! Rare whale vomit found by schoolboy on beach could be worth £40,000

Ambergris - the technical term for when whales vomit solidifies over decades - used in perfumes

Boy, 8, could make thousands if perfume industry buys the 600 grams haul

Wants to open an animal shelter with any money he earns

A schoolboy could make a gross profit after stumbling across a rare piece of whale vomit on a beach - which could by worth as much as £40,000.

Charlie Naysmith, 8, discovered the 600 grams solid piece of sick after taking a stroll along Hengistbury Head, near Bournemouth.

He came across a big chunk that looked like a yellowish beige rock with a waxy finish and picked it up, according to the Daily Echo newspaper.

One whale's sick is a schoolboy's treasure: Charlie Naysmith with the chunk of ambergris that he found on the beach at Hengistbury Head near Bournemouth

With the help of his parents he discovered his find was not a rock, but a substance vomited or excreted by sperm whales.

But it appears that one whale's trash is another person's treasure.

Decades of floating and exposure to sun and salt have turned the substance, t echnically called ambergris, into a smooth lump of compact rock which feels waxy and has a sweet smell.

As repulsive as it my sound, the substance is highly sought after with perfume makers as it helps prolong the scent of perfume. A pound of the whale waste sells for as much as £6,300.

Worth it's weight in gold: Ambergris is the polite term for whale vomit and is worth thousands of pounds to the perfume industry

Lucky find: The schoolboy was taking a walk along Hengistbury Beach, pictured, when he spotted the sick

THE GRISLY FACTS BEHIND THE 'SWEET SMELL' OF AMBERGRIS

The principal historical use of ambergris was as a fixative in perfumery, though it has now been largely displaced by synthetics.

Ambergris has been mostly known for its use in creating perfume and fragrance much like musk, according to Wikipedia.

Although ambergris is still an ingredient in perfumes today, American companies usually remove it from their product because of the legal ambiguities surrounding its use.

As it comes from sperm whale, which is classed as a vulnerable species, cosmetic companies tend to shun using it because it is associated with whaling. But the sweet-smelling sick has been used in a variety of ways throughout history, according to the information website

Ancient Egyptians found a use for it by burned ambergris as incense and the country still uses it today for scenting cigarettes.

Worried people thought they could thwart the plague by carrying a ball of ambergris during The Black Death in Europe because the vomit masked the smell, which they thought was the root of the illness.

And Wikipedia said that one monarch particularly loved the taste of the whale vomit - Charles II would eat it with eggs.

His father, Alex, said they have contacted authorities to help them with their find: 'He is into nature and is really interested in it.



'We have discovered it is quite rare and are waiting for some more information from marine biology experts,' AsianTown.net reported.

Charlie, of Christchurch, is a pupil of St Katharine’s school in Southbourne and has been on nature walks with his class in the area - but the chances of him discovering any more finds are slim.



While perfumes can still be found with ambergris around the world, many perfumers usually avoid it because it is associated with whaling and the sperm whale is a vulnerable species.

The family has been told it is unlikely that more ambergris will be found in the same area.

That isn't stopping the schoolboy from dreaming about how to spend his newfound riches. Currently, he is considering building some kind of a shelter for animals.

Charlie is not the only one to discover the foul - if lucrative - find.

Beachcombers Sean Kane and, 24, and Ian Foster, 39, discovered a 110lb of whale vomit washed up on the beach in 2008.



Known as 'floating gold', because of its high value, the waxy haul was estimated to be worth £500,000.

However, in recent times the perfume industry has largely switched to synthetic versions instead of using the vomit as it is seen as a by-product of the whaling industry.

Sean, from Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales, said the pair were on the beach walking a dog at nearby Criccieth when they made their discovery.

'We just came across this white, like waxy lump. I said to Ian: "It looks a bit like whale sick." He had never heard of anything like it' he said.

It is rarely found on British beaches, usually being washed up in America and Australia.