This national park is home to a resident forest, which the underground water forest feeds, thereby making the park generally green throughout the year. This attracts both migratory and wetland birds. Two-thirds of the lake is dominated by shallow alkaline-saline soda waters. These unique waters are formed by Rift Valley heat causing rapid evaporation of Manyara's waters, leaving high concentrations of saline (salt) and sodium carbonate. This creates an ideal environment for the microorganism cyanobacteria to thrive, which produces blue-green benthic algae. This attracts flamingos that feed on it. Whereas these caustic waters can reach pH levels of 9, too toxic for most other creatures, the flamingos have adapted to it, and the benthic algae provide a year-round food source for them. Manyara National Park's most common species, in addition to flamingos, are large troops of baboons, blue/sykes monkeys, vervet monkeys, tree-climbing lions, kudus, buffalos, giraffes, hippos, wildebeest, zebras, elephants, impalas, Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, lions, cheetahs, warthogs, leopards, hyrax, elands, bushbucks, waterbucks, and dik-diks.