A girl aged ten is set to be $4,700 richer after finding a lump of Whale Sick. (w/pic)
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| Beachcomber … Melissa Cathcart | ||||
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Melissa Cathcart picked up the rare ambergris while beachcombing on holiday.
The waxy substance known as “floating gold” is produced by sperm whales and used in perfume production to slow evaporation. It is worth £10 a gram.
Melissa’s mum Kay said: “We recently heard on the radio about ambergris, but when Melissa found some I couldn’t believe it!”
The 350g lump probably floated from around America or the Pacific before landing on Shell Island, Gwynedd, North Wales.
Kay, of St Helens, Merseyside, took the find to the SeaQuarium in Rhyl.
Manager Paul Murray said: “I’ve never seen any in the UK. It’s amazing.”
Kay said: “It would be brilliant if Melissa got a windfall from it.”
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