It might look like a rock, but it's actually a rare kind of whale poop.

它或許看起來像石頭，但它其實是一種稀有的鯨魚大便。

And it's not cheap.

而且可不便宜。

Per gram, ambergris can cost more than silver, 30 times more.

光是一克的要價，龍涎香就是銀的三十倍！

If you've ever worn perfume, well I've got some unsettling news, you may have misted yourself with animal waste.

如果你擦過香水，我有個會讓你不安的消息，那就是你擦的是動物糞便。

You see, for centuries, perfumers have been using ambergris to enhance their fragrances.

是這樣的，幾世紀以來，香水師常利用龍涎香增強香氣。

It's essentially a clump of squid beaks bound by a fatty secretion.

它最一開始是一塊被脂肪分泌物包裹的魷魚嘴。

Over time, it balls up in the intestine of some sperm whales and eventually, out it goes.

隨著時間推移，它在抹香鯨的腸道中越變越大，最後被排洩出來。

Now, in the strictest sense, it's not technically poop but scientists think it exits the same way, if you catch my drift.

嚴格說來，它不算是大便，但是科學家認為它的生成原理是一樣的，如果你懂我在說什麼。

One way or another, a big boulder of ambergris is released into the ocean and it floats for decades, you know who knows how long?

總之呢，一大塊龍涎香被釋放到大海中，然後漂浮個數十年，誰知道漂多久呢？

And in that time, the mass transforms from a sticky dung-like substance into a hard gray chunk.

在那期間，這一大塊東西會從黏糊糊糞便似的物質變成一塊灰色的堅硬物。

And this, believe it or not, is what perfumers covet.

而這就是，信不信由你，香水師夢寐以求的東西。

For one, it contains a unique chemical that works as a fixative, which means it makes other smells in perfume last longer.

一個原因是，它含有一種特殊化學物質，可以作為定型劑，也就是它可以讓香水氣味持久一點。

But ambergris is also valued for something incredibly surprising, apparently it smells good?

但是龍涎香不只因為如此才那麼高價，另個原因頗令人意外的，那就是它顯然聞起來不錯？

It's like a bouquet of 20 or 30 different chemical compounds, each have their own odor profile.

它就像是綜合了 20 或 30 種不同化學混合物的花束，每一個都有獨特的氣味。

One will smell sort of like mushrooms, one will smell a little bit like tobacco, one smells like poop, one smells sort of like grass and hay.

某個聞起來會像是蘑菇，某個有點像是煙草，某個聞起來則像是糞便，還有的聞起來像是牧草和乾草。

Sounds great.

聽起來不賴。

Well, apparently perfume designers use strong scents like those as the base note for their fragrances.

很顯然香水設計師會利用類似這些強烈的香氣當做香水後調。

And base notes form the foundation of any perfume.

後調則構成了任何香水的基底。

One company in particular has several expensive perfumes with base notes of ambergris.

有一間公司推出的多款香水都用龍涎香當後調。

Perfumes in this collection can sell for around $500 a bottle and are described as a passionate love letter in fragrant form.

這系列的香水一瓶要價約 500 美金 (約台幣 15300)，被形容為是香氛形式的火熱情書。

And while ambergris has all the makings for a great perfume, what really drives up the price tag is simply how rare it is.

雖然龍涎香有製作好香水的各種要素，但它基本上是因為稀少才要價昂貴。

Scientists don't know exactly why, but only about 1% of sperm whales produce this substance.

科學家不知道為什麼，但只有大約 1% 的抹香鯨能產出這種物質。

In fact, researchers like Dr. Shane Gero, who spend years studying sperm whales, never end up seeing it.

事實上，研究人員像是 Shane Gero 博士就已經花了數年研究抹香鯨，但從來沒真的親眼目睹過。

I've been collecting sperm whale poo for 15, 16 years and I haven't ever collected anything that I was like aw, maybe this is a tiny little ambergris ball.

我搜集抹香鯨糞便已經有 15、16 年了，但我從來沒有搜集到任何龍涎香。

Sometimes, lucky beach-goers will stumble upon it.

有時候，幸運的海灘遊客會正巧碰上。

In 2006, for example, a couple picked up a 32-pound piece on a beach in Australia.

舉例來說，在 2006 年一對夫妻在澳洲海灘撿到一塊重達 32 磅 (約 14.5 公斤) 的龍涎香。

Media outlets later reported that it could be worth nearly $300,000.

媒體後續報導它或許價值近 30 萬美金 (約台幣 920 萬)。

But more often, ambergris hunters will get to it first.

但龍涎香獵人通常會先撿到。

They track weather patterns and ocean currents to predict where it might end up, and once they find it, they sell it to brokers or perfumers for up to $7,200 a pound.

他們追蹤天氣形態和洋流，預測龍涎香的可能位置，他們一旦找到，就會把它賣給中盤商或是香水師，一磅可以賣到 7200 美金 (約台幣 22 萬)。

This is like gold to them, this is a real commodity so they take it very seriously, they can be a big aggressive, muscular.

這對他們來說就像黃金，是一個貨真價實的商品，所以他們很認真看待這件事，或許會有些硬派、好鬥。

And they really closely guard their secrets.

他們也對機密守口如瓶。

But the commodity's high price isn't the only reason they do it.

但他們並不只是為了賣個好價格才這樣。

In some countries, like the U.S., buying, selling, or even collecting ambergris is illegal.

在一些國家，像是在美國，購買、販售或甚至是收集龍涎香都是違法的。

That's because sperm whales are an internationally threatened species.

那是因為抹香鯨是國際瀕危物種。

Before whaling starting actively, both historical and modern whaling, there was over a million sperm whales.

在捕鯨盛行前，無論是過去的還是現代捕鯨，外頭有超過一百萬隻抹香鯨。

And now we're down closer to a fifth of that.

而現在數量降到將近僅存的五分之一。

And while no whales are harmed in the collection of ambergris, Gero says that it's never a good idea to buy or sell products from an endangered species.

雖然收集龍涎香的過程不會傷到任何抹香鯨，但 Gero 說購買或是販售來自瀕危物種的產品從來就不是個好事。

But until we can replicate something that smells as good as that, mm, whale poop, people will probably keep buying and selling ambergris.

但直到我們可以復製出和鯨魚糞便一樣好聞的東西前，人們或許還是會持續購買並販賣龍涎香。