Lifestyle Pets Thailand Garbage Collector Finds Smelly Mass that Could Be Whale Vomit Worth Over $100,000 The large chunk could be ambergris, sperm whale vomit that eventually develops into a sweet-smelling substance used in perfumes By Georgia Slater Georgia Slater Georgia Slater is an associate editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 14, 2019 01:30PM EST Photo: Viral Press As the saying goes — one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! When Thailand garbage collector, Somsak Boonrith, discovered an odd-looking piece of trash, he quickly realized that it could be much more valuable than it appeared. On Sunday, Boonrith uncovered a large, yellow, wax-like mound on Tarutao Island in Satun, Thailand, which he believes could be ambergris — a foul stomach mixture that comes from sperm whales but later develops a sought-after smell used in many perfumes. The lump weighed nearly five pounds, which Boonrith thinks could be worth around £80,000, or roughly $102,768, Daily Mail reported. 5 Whales Die After Stranding Themselves on Hawaii Beach with 5 Other Whales According to the Natural History Museum, ambergris has been called the treasure of the sea and floating gold for it’s unique and costly uses, however, it is most commonly known as “whale vomit” as many believe that “the whale regurgitates the mass.” Viral Press When first vomited, the substance has a foul smell and floats at the surface at the ocean. After drying out, however, the smell becomes more sweet and long-lasting, which is why it is a common ingredient in perfumes. Viral Press Although Boonrith is not completely certain that the chunk is ambergris, his fingers are crossed as he hopes to sell the piece so he can quit his job as a “rag picker” and have more money for his family. “I used to be a fisherman but a storm destroyed my boat. Now I wander along the beach looking through rubbish trying to find valuable things,” he told the Daily Mail. Viral Press Adding, “I am willing to sell the chunk of whale vomit and buy a new boat to revive my career as a fisherman, because the earnings from rag picking was not enough to feed my family.’ Study Finds Climate Change Causing Fatal Virus to Spread to Marine Mammals Oceans Apart According to the outlet, local government officials will find Boonrith later this month to determine if the mass is, in fact, ambergris and to figure out how much the lump may be worth.