The World’s Deadliest Lake

    In the African country of Tanzania, there’s a beautiful lake. It’s called Lake Natron. A towering volcano rises near its shores. The shallow water looks just right for wading.

    But if you visit Lake Natron, don’t bring your swimsuit. A quick dip can strip skin from your body. Don’t drink the water either. It could send you to the hospital. 

    It would be smart to admire the lake from a distance—unless you’re a lesser flamingo. Then you’d be able to enjoy Lake Natron. You’d probably visit with about 2 million friends. And you and your friends would raise hundreds of thousands of baby flamingos on its shores.

    In the African country of Tanzania, there’s a beautiful lake called Lake Natron. Its water looks perfect for wading. 

    But if you visit, don’t bring your swimsuit. A quick dip can strip skin from your body. Don’t drink the water either. It could send you to the hospital.

    You should admire the lake from a distance—unless you’re a lesser flamingo. Then you could enjoy Lake Natron. You’d probably visit with about 2 million friends. You and your friends would raise hundreds of thousands of baby flamingos on its shores.

    In the African country of Tanzania, there’s a beautiful lake called Lake Natron with a towering volcano near its shores. The lake’s shallow water looks perfect for wading. 

    But if you visit Lake Natron, don’t bring your swimsuit. A quick dip can strip skin from your body. Don’t drink the water either, unless you want to spend some time in the hospital.

    It would be smart to admire the lake from a distance—unless you’re a lesser flamingo. Then you’d be able to enjoy Lake Natron. You’d probably visit with about 2 million friends. And you and your friends would raise hundreds of thousands of baby flamingos on its shores.

    For most creatures, Lake Natron is as deadly as it is beautiful. The volcano on its shore has leaked salty chemicals into the lake for thousands of years. Large amounts of plant-like living things called algae grow in the water. Some of the algae are poisonous. Animals that come down for a taste often end up dead. 

    But lesser flamingos love Lake Natron. Tough skin on their legs keeps the water from burning them. They can eat the algae without getting sick. They can even drink the water. Special glands in their heads filter out the salt. 

    Every four years or so, 2 million flamingos come to the lake to breed. They lay eggs on islands made of salt crystals. The water level has to be just right. Too high and the islands disappear. Too low and animals can sneak over from the shore and attack.

    The lake is a perfect home for the flamingos. There’s very little competition for food. The babies are safe. And the species is able to survive.

    For most creatures, Lake Natron is deadly. A volcano on the shore has leaked salty chemicals into the lake for thousands of years. Plant-like living things called algae grow in the water. Some of the algae are poisonous. Animals that come down for a taste often end up dead.

    But lesser flamingos love the lake. Tough skin on their legs keeps the water from burning them. They can eat the algae without getting sick. They can drink the water too. Special glands in their heads filter out the salt.

    Every four years or so, 2 million flamingos come to the lake to breed. They lay eggs on islands made of salt crystals. The water level has to be perfect. Too high and the islands vanish. Too low and animals can come from the shore and attack.

    The lake is a perfect home for the birds. There’s not much competition for food. The babies are safe. And the species can survive.

    For most creatures, Lake Natron is as deadly as it is beautiful. The volcano on its shore has leaked salty chemicals into the lake for thousands of years. Some of the algae—plant-like living things that grow in the water—are poisonous. Animals that come down for a taste often end up dead.

    But lesser flamingos love Lake Natron. The tough skin on their legs prevents the water from burning them, and they can eat the algae without getting sick. They can even drink the water, thanks to special glands in their heads that filter out the salt.

    Every four years or so, 2 million flamingos come to the lake to breed. They lay eggs on islands made of salt crystals. The water level has to be just right: too high and the islands disappear, too low and animals can sneak over from the shore and attack.

    The lake is a perfect home for the flamingos. There’s very little competition for food, the babies are safe, and the species is able to survive.