![]() And deposits of sodium carbonate, which was originally utilised in Egyptian mummification, work as a magnificent type of preservation for creatures unfortunate enough to die in Lake Natron’s waters. The alkalinity of the water is caused by sodium carbonate and other minerals that pour into the lake from the neighbouring hills. Lake Natron’s alkaline water has a pH as high as 10.5 and is so caustic that it can burn the skin and eyes of creatures who aren’t acclimated to it. Because the lake is so remote (it wasn’t even found by Europeans until 1954), there are no safeguards in place to preserve it or its endangered flamingo population.īrandt was struck by the stunningly well-preserved bodies of bats, flamingos, eagles, and swallows, and he documented the odd event with a series of images. Because they are shallow lakes in a hot climate, their water temperatures can exceed 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) (41 degrees Celsius).Ī proposed hydroelectric power plant on the Ewaso Ngiro River, the main river feeding Lake Natron, threatens the lake’s serenity and flamingo population. Both are terminal lakes with no river or sea exit they are supplied by hot springs and small rivers. Lake Natron may be one of two alkaline lakes in East Africa, other one being Lake Bahi. The nests of the flamingos are established on little islands that grow in the lake during the dry season. More than 2 million lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) use the small lake as their principal breeding habitat in Africa during the breeding season. “Natron is typically a warm 80 degrees Fahrenheit and blood-red from bacteria, the only living organisms capable of surviving its lethal alkalinity.” It’s recently gained a reputation for washing up on its shores the bodies of small creatures, each wrapped in a lovely crusty shroud.
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