The idea of a lake that instantly turns animals that touch it into stone may sound like a concept from Greek mythology.
But it’s a reality in Tanzania, where animals live in fear of one of the world’s deadliest lakes.
Lake Natron is a key mating ground for lesser endangered flamingo, but animals risk being frozen forever in its salt if they dare to go near its shores.
Bacteria, which give the water its blood red tone, are some of the only organisms that can tolerate its average 78°F (26°C) heat, fatal salt concentration and alkalinity.
Bodies that fall into the water decompose rapidly while those which fall on its edge are ‘encrusted in salt’ that ‘stays forever’, according to ecologist David Harper of the University of Leicester.
