Terrifying lake instantly turns living things that touch it to stone
While it may sound like something out of a horror film, there is actually a lake on our planet that instantly turns animals that touch it into stone.
The terrifying lake in question is known as Lake Natron, which is found in northern Tanzania, at the border with Kenya.
The lake is actually the chosen breeding ground for the endangered lesser flamingo, but for any other animal that comes in contact with it, it is pure hell.
Lake Natron may be very beautiful and mesmerising, but don't be fooled by its aesthetically pleasing look.
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While animals gaze at their reflection in the not-so-deep colourful water, something really quite terrible happens.
Once an animal comes in contact with the lake, it instantly turns to stone, which is terrifying. But how exactly does this happen?
While it sounds like part of a script for a film, animals actually turn to stone because of the salt and high alkaline ph in the water.
When the poor old animals touch the water, calcification occurs - which is the accumulation of calcium salts in the body tissue.
The animal instantly dies, but then appears as stone in its entirety. Yep, from every inch of hair to its toenails, everything remains in place but in stone.
The lake is a rather bright red due to the amount of bacteria present which makes its temperature extremely high.
Even though you'd expect people to want to stay well clear of the lake; I mean, I'm not going anywhere near it. Lake Natron is actually a popular tourist destination, though we won't be booking flights out there anytime soon.
Wildlife photographer Nick Brandt is one of those who has a keen interest in the lake, as he used the stone corpses as posed models for a terrifying series of photographs.
Brandt took inspiration from the well-preserved bodies of bats, flamingos and eagles to create the eerie but also impressive photographs.
Speaking to NBC News, Brandt said: "I unexpectedly found the creatures — all manner of birds and bats — washed up along the shoreline of Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania.
"I took these creatures as I found them on the shoreline, and then placed them in 'living' positions, bringing them back to 'life'."
The impressive photographs are on display at the Hasted Kraeutler Gallery in New York.
Callum Jones