noun
fauna
FAW-nuh
noun
1
The animals of a particular region, habitat, or time period, considered as a group.
"The rainforest is home to an incredible variety of fauna."
How to Use Fauna
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAll the animal life of a place, as opposed to its plant life.
Common mistake
Fauna refers to animals; flora refers to plants — the two are often paired but mean different things.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
flora and fauna
native fauna
local fauna
Word Forms
faunae plural, faunas plural, faunæ plural
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The rainforest is home to an incredible variety of _____.
Etymology
From New Latin fauna, named after Fauna, the Roman goddess of animals and fertility.