Even though the country is only slightly larger than New Jersey, its diverse terrain and climate means a large variety of animals live in Israel. Boars roam the damp oak woodlands in the northeast. Caspian turtles live in the marshlands along the coast. And hyenas prowl in the Negev Desert region in southern Israel.

A 3,900-foot-long coral reef glimmers along the southern shore of the Red Sea in Elat. It’s covered in coral polyps, and crabs, turtles, octopuses, and sharks make their home in the reef.

Even big cities like Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, teem with wildlife. Fruit bats flit around the trees in parks. Snakes like the red whip and the Asian racer slither through gardens. Mediterranean house geckos are common pretty much everywhere—including in the cracks of old brick buildings.

Much of what is now Israel was originally covered in woodlands. But in the early 1900s, many trees were cut for timber and land was cleared for fields. Israel is now replanting trees to bring back the woodlands. Over 200 million trees have been planted in the last 60 years. Nature reserves have also been created to protect wolves, foxes, endangered Arabian leopards, ostriches, and other species, as well as to breed threatened animals.

A reminder: Deligitimizing Jewish or Palestinian connections to the homeland is a bad look. Peace is the right look. Let’s focus on that.