A teenager thinks she might have found a very rare lump of whale vomit while out walking on New Brighton beach.
Pawisa Srising, 18, was out walking on the stretch of sand yesterday afternoon when she spotted something unusual ahead of her.
She said to the ECHO : "The tide was out and I saw something ahead. At first I did not know what it was. It was soft and a bit runny in my hands at first."
Now Pawisa, whose parents run a Thai restaurant in Wallasey, said that she now thinks the strange substance might be a waste product emitted by Sperm whales.
Pawisa, a keen walker, said: "I went online and did a bit of research and I now think it might be Ambergris, which comes from Sperm whales."
Ambergris, a type of whale vomit, is used by some perfume houses to make scents.
It is rare and can be sold for tens of thousands of pounds.
Ambergris is rarely recovered on British shores – it is usually found on the coasts of the United States and Australia.
The solidified remnants of Sperm whale vomit is released when the animal is ill at sea.
Although clear in appearance it turns darker over a period of months.
Pawisa said: "I have sent a few emails to try and find out what it is.
"If its worth a lot of money it will be amazing.
"It would be nice to be able to treat my parents to some nice things.
"We will have to wait and see."
