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fauna
This term is almost always paired with flora to create a complete picture of a biological ecosystem. It carries a scientific, academic tone and is rarely used in casual conversation unless discussing ecology or natural history. While animals refers to individual creatures, fauna describes the collective biological identity of a place. It evokes an image of a mapped-out inventory of species rather than a group of pets or livestock.
Used as a collective mass to describe the entire animal life of a region, such as the fauna of the Amazon rainforest.
Meanings
The animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
"The local fauna includes several endangered species of primates."