Fauna is a feminine noun that defines a set of animals that live in a given geographic or temporal space.
The word "fauna" is usually associated with "flora", a set of plants, vegetables and flowers that are grouped in a particular region or that were characteristic of some geological period on Earth. Both concepts (fauna and flora) are similar, being differentiated only by the group they represent (animals and plants, respectively).
THE Amazon rainforest represents one of the most diversified fauna on the planet, with more than 7 million km2, 60% of which belong to Brazilian territory.
A group of animals can be classified as belonging to one or more fauna, depending on the point of view that we analyze the environment. Example: Animals that live in the Amazon rainforest can be classified as members of the "Amazon fauna" or "Brazilian fauna".
The fauna is related to the biodiversity, that is, a wide variety of living beings, whether animals or plants. Biodiversity is responsible for establishing the balance of life on our planet. The sum of all types of fauna or ecosystems on Earth, such as the caatinga, the oceans, the wetlands, the cerrados, etc., form the
biosphere - layer of the planet where living beings live.There are several types of fauna, which vary from different regions of the Earth, however, we can divide these fauna variations into two large groups: the "domestic fauna", animals that need human intervention to feed/survive/develop, and "wildlife", when animals do not need humans to feed or develop.
Among the numerous variations of fauna, the following stand out:
- Maritime Fauna: formed by animals that inhabit seas and oceans
- Synanthropic Fauna: animals that live close to humans but are domestic. They are characteristic for transmitting diseases or threats to humans. Example: rats, pigeons, mosquitoes, bats, among others.
- Ichthyological Fauna: formed by fish
In September 22 celebrates the Fauna Defense Day.
See also the meaning of Biodiversity and Animal Kingdom.