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Southern Resident whales

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is...
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...

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