Extremophile is a term used to describe an organism that can succeed in an environment that can certainly kill other living creatures. Whether it’s heat, salinity or altitude, these are found all over the world, and David Attenborough’s most recent collaboration with the BBC, A Perfect Planet, features such an animal in the dazzling 4K Ultra HD. The characteristic pink feathers of the late Natron’sflamingos sit opposite the canvas of Tanzania’s famous Soda Lake, which reaches a pH of about 12 – which is close to the power of the family bleach. The arrival of the other world environment Ol Doinyo Lengai, this volcano ignores the range of this tough bird’s home.
Lake Soda derives its luster from sodium carbonate and other minerals that flow into the lake from the surrounding hills, making the water a strong alkali. Despite the fact that it is a deadly immersion for humans, burning the skins and eyes of most animals and proving to be a death spell for those who have survived for a long time, a group of flamingos have adapted to the unhealthy conditions of late Natron and now number millions.
It is one of the most notable breeding sites for the emergence of laser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) conservation groups when the site was planned to be a soda ash factory. These plans have been abandoned by the Tanzanian government for the protection of birds that do not live like anyone else in the strange red waters of Lake Natron. For the first episode of Perfect Planet, a crew named Volcano was thrown into Lake Neutron with an unusual bit kit: a hovercraft. Hiding them on camera crews over razor-sharp soda flats around the lake (some of which the filmmakers saw on long knees in salty water) required an unconventional mode of transport. Producer Hu Cordey said in a press release about the BBC series,`“Natron Lake is not only remote, but it is also one of the most toxic and caustic bodies in the world. The only safe way to reach and film Nesting Colony outside the center is hovercraft and it’s not something you’ll find locally. “
Reaching the flock of birds sitting in the center of such a deadly landscape is not an average event, and in reality, it was something that needed to be repaired to help repair many of the torn skirts of the local Maasai tribe hovercraft. Falls footage reveals the endangered life cycle of these glittering birds, whose cubs are sent to the flamingo, the equivalent of the nursery group, to face the muscular marabou Storks.
“Two million fewer flamingos live in East Africa and rely on all the late Natron Lakes for breeding,” Cordey said. “It’s a spectacle of the planet’s great natural history and it was at the top of our movie list. Unfortunately, flamingos only nest in lakes when the water level is low enough to dry out and this can happen once every five years or every five years thereafter – although no one can say for sure.” Don’t know. ” A Perfect Planet runs this Sunday at GMT One on BBC One in the UK. Find out where you can look around the world here.
