Animals considered as a group; especially those of a particular country, region, time.
"The book details the unique fauna of the Amazon rainforest before it was logged."
In plain English: Fauna refers to all of the animals living in a particular place or time period.
"The local fauna includes many kinds of birds and insects that visitors often spot in the forest."
Usage: Use fauna to refer collectively to animal life in a specific area, rather than listing individual species or using the singular form "a fauna" unless referring to distinct groups within that ecosystem. Avoid confusing it with flora, which specifically denotes plant life.
The goddess of animals, nature, spring and fertility; she is also the consort of Faunus.
"In Roman mythology, Fauna was revered as the goddess of animals, nature, spring, and fertility who served as the consort of Faunus."
The word fauna comes from New Latin and is named after the Roman goddess Fauna. It originally referred to a specific deity but was adopted into English with its modern meaning of "wild animals."