TRIGGER WARNING: FOSSILIZED FLAMINGO
You know what a lake is, right? Well, I’m here to show off one I like.
You may remember this lake’s name from a quiz a bit ago, because I was teasing this article:
Now, you may be wondering some things about this lake. First, why is it RED?
Well, unlike that one river that looks like blood, this lake’s peculiar color comes from red algae! This phenomenon is seen in a bunch of lakes, actually.
(btw, these algae are often called « algae blooms »)
Now, while a red lake is somewhat cool, it just isn’t really… interesting. So, what made me choose this?
This « petrification » is caused by the REALLY high amount of salt in the lake, at around 10-12 PH! But, you wanna know something worse?
This is a petrified flamingo chick. Flamingos have EXTREMELY HIGH salinity tolerance, can drink saltwater, and breed in salt lakes. This lake petrified a flamingo. This lake can kill you.
« Fun » fact: No human has died in lake Natron yet, and let’s hope this fact stays true.
A bunch of other animal skeletons have been found, too, such as bats and a LOT of flamingos.
Oh and also, the salt isn’t the only thing that’ll kill you here. The temperatures can reach up to 40° C, which could VERY MUCH give you a heat stroke.
QUIZ TIME!
WHAT’S THE NAME OF THE RIVER (and waterfall) THAT LOOKS AND ACTS LIKE BLOOD? (It’s located in the Antarctic)
- BLOOD RIVER
- BLOOD-RED RIVER
- КРОВАВО-КРАСНАЯ РЕКА
- BLOOD FALLS
It’s actually Blood Falls! This river acts and looks like blood because of the extremely high amount of iron in its water.