The photographer came across the birds while working to capture the grandeur of Africa’s disappearing wildlife. It literally turns any animal that it touches into stone. The conditions are so terrible that the animals that have perished along the banks of the lake have completely calcified into statuesque mummies.

The soda and salt causes the creatures to calcify, perfectly preserved, as they dry.” “The water has an extremely high soda and salt content, so high that it would strip the ink off my Kodak film boxes within a few seconds. “No one knows for certain exactly how die, but it appears that the extreme reflective nature of the lake’s surface confuses them, causing them to crash into the lake,” Brandt writes in his new photo book Across the Ravaged Land. This has given photographer Nick Brandt the opportunity to capture the lakes deadly secret through the lens of his camera and what he shares is horrific. The incredibly salty lake can reach temperatures of 140 F. The lake has an alkaline content similar to that of ammonia. This beautiful lake holds a deadly secret however, and is almost uninhabitable by all living creatures except a few salt dwelling bacteria and small fish. Lake Natron, located in Tanzania, Africa is one of the most beautiful lakes Tanzania has to offer, with serene views and a calm quiet you won’t find many places on this earth.

Why is lake natron so deadly