Squalene is a natural 30-carbon
organic compound originally obtained for commercial purposes primarily from
shark liver oil (hence its name), although plant sources (primarily vegetable oils) are now used as well, including
amaranth seed, rice bran, wheat germ, and olives. It is also found in high concentrations in the
stomach oil of birds in the order
Procellariiformes. All plants and animals produce squalene as a biochemical intermediate, including
humans.