What does ambergris look like?
Ambergris comes in many colors, shapes and textures. This makes identification difficult and ensures frustration for beachcombers on the hunt for this elusive substance. Ambergris is mostly often white, grey, black or brown in color or even a mixture of these shades. In shape; ambergris can be flat or square but often rounded, oval shapes appear on the beaches, probably due to the rolling and smoothing action that the ocean waves would have over a period of time, even years. If black in color, the texture may be soft and sticky like melting tar. Most often it is hard yet waxy and may have a powdery like white coating. It can also be described as having the texture of hard, dry clay.