Larnaca Salt Lake

We are now going to watch the Salt lake of Larnaca

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The salt lake of Larnaca is a complex of 4 lakes and is one of the two more unique wetlands of Cyprus. Here you can find the unicellular algae, Dunaniella salina which is on the bottom of the food chain. Also another species that live in this salt lake and feeds on this algae is Artemia (Artemia salina) which is a small shrimp. The eggs that this shrimps lay can survive in very high salinity and high temperature and only hatch when there is enough water to survive. The water on the salt lakes comes from rain and underground from the sea. This wetland is also known for its great amount of aquatic birds, such as Flamingos (Phoenicopterus rubber), gulls (Larus ridibundus) and many species of ducks. It is also an area that many migratory birds visit, such as waders and many species breed and nest in this area. The main foods for the birds are the shrimps of the lake. There are many species of plants surrounding the salt lakes such as Almyrida, Salicornia, Suaeda fruticosa and many types of orchids. The salt lake is protected by the RAMSAR program which protects and conserves all the wetlands that have important biodiversity. ​