Imagine you're exploring an alien planet.

You've hiked into an arid volcanic zone in the mountains.

Here, a vast but shallow lake fills a valley between jagged ridges.

Plumes of steam rise from the lake in several places, indicating the presence of hot springs and geysers.

Analyzing a sample of the lake water, you discover that it's highly alkaline and salty,

not so great for supporting life.

But walking further along the barren lake shore, you begin to hear a clamor.

It grows much louder as you reach the southern end of the lake.

Could there be life here after all? And then you find the source of all the noise. What at first

appears to be a gigantic pink blob undulating across the lake's surface is soon revealed to be a swarm

of thousands upon thousands of strange rose-colored creatures. They're tall and gangly, with

S-curved necks and twiggy legs. The head is oddly shaped, dominated by a thick beak that bends

sharply downward in the middle. Dense clusters of these pink aliens march in unison through the

shallow water. Necks stretched up to full length, they jerk their heads left and right. This all

looks like some sort of choreographed dance routine.

It's one of the weirdest scenes you've ever come across in all your travels, and one of the

most beautiful. But here's the twist ending. Just like at the end of the original 1968 movie

Planet of the Apes,

you were on Earth the whole time!

Those pink creatures are flamingos!

But you knew that, of course, since I'm sure you saw the title of this podcast episode.

The scene I just describe is pretty much what we find in places like Lake Bogoria in Kenya.

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