ˈfȯnə, ˈfänə noun
( plural fau·nas -nəz ; also fau·nae -ˌnē)
Etymology: New Latin, from Late Latin Fauna, Roman goddess connected with the fauns, from Latin faunus
1. : animals in general or animal life especially as distinguished from flora ; especially : the animals or animal life characteristic of or peculiar to a region or locality, period, or geological stratum
2. : the animals or animal life occurring, developed, or adapted for living in a specified environment
cave fauna
protozoal fauna of the human intestine
3. : a systematic treatise upon the animals of an area or period — compare flora 1