have you ever heard of Medusa the snake-haired Greek monster who turns people to stone with a single glance well she may just be a myth but there is an area so deadly that it could actually turn you to stone the infamous Lake Natron what makes Lake Natron water so dangerous what kind of creatures live there and could you survive if you fell in this is what in and here's what would happen if you jumped into Lake Natron before we take the plunge we'd better look at what Lake Natron is made of much like the Dead
Sea this Tanzanian Lake doesn't run off into any oceans or rivers this allows it to soak up all that salty desert rain soupy yet what makes it especially lethal is its close proximity to the active volcano owes Doinyo Lengai the volcano spews a rare kind of lava rich in sodium and potassium carbonate called natural carbonatite or Natron for short releasing into the water this mix of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate were key ingredients once used in Egyptian mummification creating the perfect preservative in Lake form the whole chemical composition is extremely alkaline with pH levels of
10.5 close to that of ammonia this gives the lake its rosy hue any birds who happen to take a dive and don't make it out become calcified in a hardened stone like husk talk about killing two birds with one stone in 2013 wildlife photographer Nick Brandt was one of the first to document this phenomenon he discovered several stone birds and other unlucky animals in the dry season when the water had receded he theorized that since the lake is so mirror-like and reflective the birds must have flown right into it as if it was a big
glass door but despite so many birds dying in Lake Natron there is a particular species flourishing turns out the lakes toxic waters provide a safe haven from predators making it perfect flamingos flocking grounds so if flamingos can handle it couldn't we well it's not that simple unfortunately flamingos thrive in salty lakes because of their tough skin and scaly legs which prevent birds they can drink the fresh water from nearby Springs or geysers at the edges of the lake and if they're desperate enough they can even filter saltwater with special glands in their nasal cavities and
to top it all off their strong stomachs allow them to feed on the toxic algae found throughout the lake this makes Lake Natron the perfect spot to raise and protect their young so let's say we've tried to live like a flamingo and decided to take a dip well depending on the time of year the water can be a sixty degrees which is hot enough to cause third-degree burns and five seconds or less also I wouldn't plan on doing any fancy dives or cannonballs as it's shallowness is also chock full of sharp salty structures you wouldn't
be turned to stone instantly but if you happen to drown and stay submerged your entire body would Harden and be preserved if people found you hundreds of years later you might still have your hair and organs intact ya still lookin spiffy after all those years like mummification natron's super high alkalinity stops the decomposition process thankfully this means you'd be safe from vultures or any other hungry scavengers looking for a snack if you waited into the lake at a time when the water temperature was lower it could feel more like a hot tub but your eyes
or any open wounds would sting like crazy because of all that salt I'd strap on some goggles if I were you in 2007 another bird flew straight into this chemical cocktail a group of wildlife videographers plunged into Lake Natron toxicity when their helicopter crashed the pilot suffered a broken leg and another passenger had a broken hip incredibly one of the passengers managed to struggle to shore and alerted some of the Masai tribes people nearby they quickly built stretchers and carried the injured to land in the nick of time even though you could survive Lake Natron
swatters I'd stick to a swimming pool if I were you as for our flamingo friends this just goes to show how the harshest environments can be a sanctuary for some animals but if you're craving something even more extreme how about surviving a limnic eruptions on your next swim think you could handle it be sure to check out our new series how to survive to find out more you
