A group of penniless fishermen found £1.1 million worth of “whale vomit” in the carcass of a mammal.
The rare treasure, known as ambergris, is a highly sought-after substance used in the perfume industry.
The 35 fishermen from southern Yemen spoke of their joy after the lucky discovery in the Gulf of Aden which lifted them out of poverty.
One of the men told the BBC : “If you find whale ambergris it’s a treasure.
“One of the fishermen from Seriah called us in the morning and he said: ‘There’s a whale and it may contain ambergris.'”
He said as they got closer to the mammal, they noticed a strong smell and had the feeling that there might be something precious in the whale.
(Image: BBC)
They then took the whale to the shore to see what was inside it – and found the precious substance in its belly.
The fisherman said: “The smell wasn’t very nice but … lots of money.”
Another man told the BBC: “When we found the ambergris I felt so happy.”
They sold the substance 1.3bn Yemeni rials – the equivalent of about $1.5 million (£1 million) – to a trader from the United Arab of Emirates.
(Image: BBC)
The profits from the ambergris were divided equally among the fishermen and they also gave money to some people who needed help in the village.
One fisherman said the huge amount of money also allowed some of them to buy houses or cars – and some of the men are planning to get married soon.
Despite their lucky find, the men have vowed to continue fishing, with one saying: “I have to keep going to sea, even if I don’t get anything. It’s in my blood.”
(Image: BBC)
A fisherman told the Middle East Eye that he had never found any ambergris before.
The price of ambergris varies depending on the quality and the colour of the substance, but generally it is worth around £35,000 per kilogram.
Sperm whales eat large quantities of cephalopods such as squid and cuttlefish, which have some parts that are difficult for the mammals to digest.
(Image: SWNS)
Most of the time they are vomited out, but sometimes they move into the whale’s intestines and bind together, forming a solid mass of ambergris.
It is also believed that the substance protects the whale’s internal organs from the sharp squid beaks, according to the National History Museum.
Ambergris has been called the treasure of the sea and floating gold.
Earlier this year, a woman found a huge lump of whale vomit as she walked along the beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand.
She walked up closer to the substance to have a look and found it had a fishy smell.
Thinking that it could be something she could sell, the 49-year-old dragged it back to her house which was around 500 metres away from the beach.
The oval-shaped lump weighed 7kg and was about 12 inches wide and 24 inches long.