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Dominica announces new protections for sperm whales

Dominica has placed almost 800 square kilometers of sea off the west coast of the...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...

Rare ambergris could fetch £7000 at auction

A rare lump of ambergris found on a UK beach is set to fetch £7,000 at auction. Ambergris is a waxy rock-like substance produced by sperm whales that is sought after by the cosmetics industry because it helps to prolongue scent of perfume.

The initially foul-smelling substance is produced in the intestines of the whales to protect them from the sharp beaks of squid which they eat. It is then either passed as faecal matter or (more rarely, despite the current media headlines) vomited out into the sea where the salt and sun turn it into a hard rock over a long period of time. This particular lump of ambergris was found by an unnamed dog walker on a beach on the island of Anglesey, North Wales.

Sperm whale underwater