Trying to survive in nature is normally a case of having the right equipment and knowing how to use it, but every once in a while something turns up that scares and confuses even the most veteran explorer. Here’s a list of some of the most abnormal and plain weird creations from mother earth:
1) Lake Natron
This massive lake is located in Tanzania and is over 30 miles long and 14 miles wide. The lake is only about 3 metres deep in most parts and doesn’t have any plunge pools, which is very unusual for a lake of this size. The strangest thing about lake Natron is that is has a very high alkaline content, and combined with the high water temperature it has the ability to turn animals into stone. Well, not quite stone but the process is called calcification and rapidly sucks all the moisture out the animal while setting the remaining liquid like a thing cement.
Water temperatures can regularly go above 40 °C, and the alkalinity in the lake is normally no lower than a pH of 12. The reason for the high water temperatures is due to the lakes source which is the Southern Ewaso Ng’iro river in Kenya. Not long before the water reaches the lake it runs over a number of mineral rich hot springs which heat it close to boiling, but by the time the water reaches the lake its normally no less than 40 °C.
2) Blood falls – Antarctica
When Australian geologist Griffith Taylor found this in 1911 he probably thought he was seeing things. A huge waterfall of blood red liquid pouring out of the ground and falling over 20 metres of ice would be enough to scare anyone who saw it for the first time, or didn’t know what it actually was.
The source of the red colour in the water is actually iron oxide that’s met an underwater lake 400 metres below the ice. With all the glaciers moving millions of tons of rock around, it seems at one point an enormous iron deposit made contact with this sub-glacial lake and burst to the surface. Even though it looks cool, this is nothing more than a rust filled spring coming to the surface.
3) Tamri Goats
Officially taking the title of “coolest goats in town” the Tamri Goat is unusual for its incredible climbing abilities. Most climbing animals are built to do so, with squirrels and monkeys having claws or hands to grab with, and tails to counter balance. The Tamri Goat has non of these attributes, but is one of the best climbers in the wild, and using nothing but hooves to do it.
There are many species of goats that have incredible climbing abilities, including various types of mountain goat who’s young can climb steep hillsides and rocks just a few hours after being born. It seems very odd that if nature wanted to give something such great climbing abilities, you’d think it would at least give it opposable thumbs or a tail, but im just glad im not the guy who has to round them up for the night.
4) Bio-luminescent Waves
These glowing waves occur in various parts of the world normally just south of the equator. They can be caused for a number of reason but the waves above have been caused by fireflies. Their abdomen glows blue and lights up light absorbing algae in the water, which isn’t to be confused with the phytoplankton algae which actually creates the blue light for itself.
Even though it looks pretty you should never go close to this kind of water. Apart from being salt water the light is created by a type of toxic plankton, so if you’re lucky enough to be in a part of the world where this occurs, just enjoy the view and don’t go for a blue water moonlight swim.
5) Movile cave
Also known as poison cave, this system of caverns was discovered in 1986 when someone was trying to dig a well. The cave itself isn’t anything unusual, but the reason this cave has received so much scientific interest over the years is due to its isolated Eco-system. Its thought the cave was sealed off from the rest of the world for around 5.5 million years, and has developed its own creatures and plant life. The things living in the cave have evolved in a way that’s completely different from the outside world, and has its own unique species that cant be found anywhere else.
The creatures in the cave are things like leech’s and spiders, but they are all unique species and haven’t been found anywhere else on earth. The name poison cave was given to it because of the massive arsenic content of the water, along with the levels of carbon dioxide in the air being lethal. The oxygen content of the air if only one third of the air outside, and carbon dioxide levels are over one hundred times greater, so if you visit bring a mask and don’t drink the water.