Rare whale vomit found by schoolboy on beach

A schoolboy could make a gross profit after stumbling across a rare piece of whale vomit on a beach - which could by worth as much as £40,000 ($63,000 in the United States).

Charlie Naysmith, 8, discovered the 600 grams solid piece of sick after taking a stroll along Hengistbury Head beach. He came across a big chunk that looked like a yellowish beige rock with a waxy finish and picked it up. With the help of his parents he discovered his find was not a rock, but a substance vomited or excreted by sperm whales.

But it appears that one whale's trash is another person's treasure. Decades of floating and exposure to sun and salt have turned the substance, technically called ambergris, into a smooth lump of compact rock which feels waxy and has a sweet smell.

As repulsive as it my sound, the substance is highly sought after with perfume makers as it helps prolong the scent of perfume. A pound of the whale waste sells for as much as £6,300 (over $10,000 a pound).

While perfumes can still be found with ambergris around the world, many perfumers usually avoid it because it is associated with whaling and the sperm whale is a vulnerable species.

Charlie is not the only one to discover the foul - if lucrative - find.

Beachcombers Sean Kane and, 24, and Ian Foster, 39, discovered a 110lb of whale vomit washed up on the beach in 2008. Known as 'floating gold', because of its high value, the waxy haul was estimated to be worth £500,000 (over $1 million!).

However, in recent times the perfume industry has largely switched to synthetic versions instead of using the vomit as it is seen as a by-product of the whaling industry.