Legionella bacteria are aquatic parasites linked to, among other things, Legionnaires’ disease. While Legionella are known to thrive in freshwater environments, especially engineered water systems. Growing evidence suggests that certain species can also survive in seawater and other saline environments. To explore this special subset of bacteria, researchers examined samples from salty springs along the Sea of Galilee. Here, the team discovered a diversity of Legionella species not typically found in freshwater structures most of which were found thriving not only at high sodium levels, but also at higher-than-normal temperatures. The findings hint at survival schemes not found laboratory strains of Legionella. Understanding these schemes could help scientists understand how Legionella can evolve to broaden their habitable environment and, more generally, how environmental pressures like salinity influence microbial evolution.