An impressive sight can be seen at the Mekletin saltwater lakes in Kalmykia. The water there is pink. In the cold season, it has a delicate hue, and in summer it turns a deep red. Why has it taken on this colour?

There is a folk legend that the Kalmyks came to this lake after battles to heal their wounds, and the blood that flowed into this lake turned it pink.

In fact, the lakes have turned pink due to the accumulation of tiny crustaceans. These are Artemia salina. Their beautiful colour is due to the carotenoid pigment.

These small creatures are the only representatives of the fauna in the Kalmyk lakes. Only they can survive in waters with an enormous salt concentration. They and microscopic algae, which the crustaceans feed on. This type of plankton is in turn eagerly eaten by pink pelicans. This is precisely why, scientists believe, they have plumage in the colour of dawn.

The Koltan-Nur Lake is the largest. Yet even in it, the water level rarely rises above one metre. And in the hot season, it doesn't even reach the knees. Nevertheless, hundreds of bathers come here in summer. Simply lying in the water, covering themselves in mud. Both are considered healing. This is due to the enormous salt concentration – 252 grams per litre. That is 14 times more than in the Black Sea.