Lake Natron in Tanzania is one of the most unique and extreme environments on Earth, and it can preserve animals in a way that resembles calcified statues. The lake’s highly alkaline waters, with a pH as high as 10.5, are due to minerals leaching from the surrounding volcanic bedrock, which is rich in sodium carbonate. The lake’s chemical composition can calcify animals that fall into its waters, leaving behind eerily preserved remains.

When animals—typically birds—accidentally fall into the lake or die nearby, they are sometimes coated in the lake’s highly alkaline waters. Over time, the mineral-rich waters can leave them preserved in a petrified-like state. The sodium carbonate acts as a natural preservative, which was even used in Egyptian mummification. The resulting effect is that the lake's conditions can create a hard, crusty coating over the animal’s body, making them appear as though they have turned to stone.

However, Lake Natron is also a critical breeding ground for the lesser flamingo. Despite the lake's extreme conditions, these flamingos thrive there, nesting on salt islands and feeding on the lake’s algae, which gives them their characteristic pink color. The lake’s caustic nature actually helps protect these birds’ nesting sites from predators, making it both a deadly and protective environment.