Dreary Photos of Calcified Birds in African Lake

Photos by Nick Brandt

Imagine a lake so acidic that it will calcify your body at first touch. Lake Natron in Tanzania does just that at certain times of the year. This shallow, volcano surrounded lake creates high concentrations of salt, various minerals, and most importantly sodium carbonate (natron) leaving a seasonal and dangerously high evaporation rate. Science talk aside, it is nicknamed "The Lake of Death" because the environment is quite peculiar, unsafe, and scarce in wild life.

Photographer Nick Brandt found a rather ghastly scene off these shores when he captured the unfortunate demise of birds and bat that had been dried and calcified at the lake's touch. It's hard to even believe that these photos are of real animals rather than of statues or sculptures. Check out these dark yet beautifully captured images.

[Via Demilked, Amusing Planet]