• DOI:10.1086/353040
• Corpus ID: 30323379

Ambergris: The Search for Its Origin

@article{Dannenfeldt1982AmbergrisTS,
  title={Ambergris: The Search for Its Origin},
  author={Karl H. Dannenfeldt},
  journal={Isis},
  year={1982},
  volume={73},
  pages={382 - 397}
}

• K. Dannenfeldt
• Published 1 September 1982
• Biology, Medicine
• Isis

A MBERGRIS is a rare wax-like pathological growth found in the stomach and intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). Its origin is still uncertain, but the condition may be due to the irritation caused by certain indigestible food, especially when the whale has been feeding on cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), a favorite food. The horny beaks or mandibles of the cuttlefish, almost invariably found in ambergris, are indigestible and cause the irritation. The unnatural growth is usually gotten rid of in the ordinary processes of elimination, but frequently the sperm whale sickens and dies before the apparently morbid condition is remedied. Ambergris is thus found on the coasts of all seas frequented by sperm whales and in the carcasses of dead sperm whales. When fresh, ambergris is black and mixed with blood and fecal matter, and it has an unpleasant odor. When the mass is exposed to air and sun, ambergris becomes light grey (gris) and hard, and it has a sweet, musky odor. Ambergris consists largely (80%) of ambrein (a cholesterin), fatty oil, and benzoic acid. Its odor may be derived from the cuttlefish which the whale eats.