Although it is called vomit, it actually exits the whale's body through the anus.
A couple are celebrating after a large, smelly 'rock' they picked up on the beach turned out to be a chunk of whale vomit - potentially worth a whopping £50,000.
Gary and Angela Williams, from Overton, Lancashire, were strolling along Middleton Sands beach near Morecambe Bay when they smelled rotting fish.
After following the stench, they spotted an bizarre-looking 'rock' that resembled a piece of ambergris - or 'whale vomit' - which is used in perfume -making.
The couple had previously read about the highly-prized substance in a newspaper, so they wrapped the enormous lump in a scarf and took it home.
"It smells too bad though. It's a very distinctive smell, like a cross between squid and farmyard manure.
"It feels like a rock hard rubber ball. Its texture is like wax, like a candle.
"When you touch it you get wax sticking to your fingers."
Despite being known as whale vomit, it is now commonly held that the ambergris is discharged from the rear end, National Geographic explains.
A couple are celebrating after a large, smelly 'rock' they picked up on the beach turned out to be a chunk of whale vomit - potentially worth a whopping £50,000.
Gary and Angela Williams, from Overton, Lancashire, were strolling along Middleton Sands beach near Morecambe Bay when they smelled rotting fish.
After following the stench, they spotted an bizarre-looking 'rock' that resembled a piece of ambergris - or 'whale vomit' - which is used in perfume -making.
The couple had previously read about the highly-prized substance in a newspaper, so they wrapped the enormous lump in a scarf and took it home.
"It smells too bad though. It's a very distinctive smell, like a cross between squid and farmyard manure.
"It feels like a rock hard rubber ball. Its texture is like wax, like a candle.
"When you touch it you get wax sticking to your fingers."
Despite being known as whale vomit, it is now commonly held that the ambergris is discharged from the rear end, National Geographic explains.
