The odd, enduring appeal of a scarce commodity few people use and no one really needs Text by Mark Wilding, Illustrations by Aurélie Beatley, Hakai In a sparsely furnished office building in the ...

Jetsam ambergris, the waxy rocks of whale digestive material that wash up on beaches and are coveted by the perfume industry for their musky fragrance, have been convincingly tied to sperm whales ...

We don’t often associate the anus with pleasant aromas. But for select members of a certain species of cetacean, that orifice can be the source of the world’s most sought after scent. While the odor ...

The rare substance, which is normally found floating in the sea, is used in high-end perfumes. Here's what makes it so expensive. After a dead sperm whale washed up on a beach on the Spanish Island of ...

Heard of Moby Dick? Well, how about Moby's sick? Ambergris is formed in the intestines of whales and is expelled when the animal can't regurgitate food. It can be found floating on the sea or washed ...

Out for a stroll on Bolinas Beach, north of the Golden Gate, one afternoon last fortnight went Alf Harrodon, 33-year-old radio operator. Striding along with head in air he stumbled on something soft.

Ambergris Caye quickly became the most popular destination in Belize. A community-first feel and an unwavering commitment to its roots have, so far, preserved the island’s notoriously laidback vibe.

The Hortus Sanitatis, an encyclopedia of herbal medicines published in 1491, cited theories that ambergris was tree sap, a type of sea foam, or some kind of fungus. In the 12th century, reports from ...