Fauna

About this board game

Fauna is an animal-guessing board game for 2–6 players that plays in about 60 minutes. Across a changing selection of 360 animals, players estimate measurements and identify where each creature lives around the world.

Each round presents one animal by name and picture. Players place tokens to guess its weight, length, height, tail length, and the areas where it lives on the Earth. Slightly inaccurate guesses can still earn points, so knowing when to take a chance is an important part of play.

• Estimate several physical characteristics for each animal.
• Use the large world map to identify the animal’s habitats.
• Choose spaces before other players claim them.
• Balance higher-scoring opportunities with the risk of losing access to tokens.

The early bird gets the worm: an area on the map or a sector on the scales that already contains another player’s token cannot be selected again. When everyone stops placing tokens, the round ends and scoring begins.

Tokens on correct spaces score points, while tokens in the direct neighborhood of correct spaces also earn points. Tokens that score nothing are temporarily out of the game, making every placement a decision between confidence and caution.

The starting player changes each round, bringing a fresh opportunity to make the best guesses. In Fauna, the first player to reach the required total wins, normally after 8–12 animals. Released in 2008, it combines accessible wildlife questions with map placement, competitive timing, and carefully judged risk.