``Dragon saliva worth about 77 million yen'' was discovered in the intestines of a sperm whale washed up on the beach
Researchers investigating the cause of death of
Pathologist finds €500,000 'floating gold' in dead whale in Canary Islands | Whales | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/04/las-palmas-pathologist-ambergris-block-dead-sperm-whale
$500,000 chunk of 'floating gold' found in dead whale | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/animals/whales/dollar500000-chunk-of-floating-gold-found-in-dead-whale
The carcass of a sperm whale has washed up on the beach of La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands , located off the northwestern coast of the African continent. Antonio Fernández , an animal pathologist at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , conducted an investigation into the cause of death of this sperm whale.
The photo below is of a sperm whale that actually washed up on the beach on La Palma Island.
Mr. Fernandez, who suspected that there was a problem with the digestive system, examined the sperm whale's colon and noticed that there was something hard inside. Mr. Fernandes said, ``What I took out was a stone that was 50 to 60 cm in diameter and weighed 9.5 kg.'' ``Everyone watched as I returned to the beach, and what I was holding in my hand was drooling.'' I didn't realize it was incense.'
Ryukyu is a concretion that occurs in the intestines of sperm whales, and it is thought that the beaks of squids and octopuses, which are difficult to digest, are coated with secretions to protect their organs and hardened like stones. When freshly made, Ryukyu incense smells like the sea or feces, but as it ages, it changes to a sweet, earthy scent. For this reason, it has been valued as a raw material for perfumes since ancient times, and even in modern times when synthetic raw materials have been invented, some companies still use it.
It is said that only 1 to 5% of sperm whales produce dragon saliva, making it extremely rare. Normally, once a dragonfly reaches a certain size, it is expelled from the body, and due to its light specific gravity, it floats on the sea or washes ashore on the beach. For this reason, it is also called 'floating gold' in English, but there are cases where it remains in the sperm whale's body and causes its intestines to rupture.
Mr. Fernandez's tests concluded that the sperm whale died because its intestines ruptured due to drooling, causing sepsis. Below are photos of the newly discovered dragonfly.
Sperm whales are being protected internationally and are protected by treaties. However, dragonfly, which is considered animal excrement, can be legally traded in most countries except the United States and India.
Trading in dragonfly incense is legal in Spain, which owns La Palma Island, and in the EU, and the purchase price of the dragonfly incense discovered this time is estimated to be approximately 500,000 euros. Mr. Fernandez is planning to sell this dragonfly incense and use it to pay for recovery from the volcanic eruption that occurred in 2021 .
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