Relating to or characteristic of animals, especially animals of a particular region, time period, or ecosystem.
From 'fauna' (all animals of a region) plus the '-al' suffix (meaning 'relating to'). 'Fauna' comes from Latin goddess Fauna. The '-al' suffix is one of the most common ways to form adjectives from nouns in English and Latin-based languages.
Scientists use 'faunal assemblages' to describe groups of animals found together in fossils—this helps them understand ancient ecosystems! When paleontologists find 'faunal evidence' in ancient rock layers, they're like detectives reading a story written in bones about what lived millions of years ago.
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