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Fauna board game is fun, family friendly and filled with animals
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Do you know where the panda lives (... you most likely know)? Do you know where the babirusa lives (... you are less sure about that)? Some of us are not entirely sure what a babirusa is. In Fauna, you are not expected to know all the answers, simply gather your wits and make an educated guess. You are right on target? Great! You are close? That's good too, since you score partial points. - photo by Ryan Morgenegg
Animals are everywhere in Fauna, a board game by FoxMind for two to six players. Players are testing their knowledge about the animal world. The game is educational, fun and family friendly. It won the 2011 preferred choice award from Creative Child magazine, was a Game of the Year nominee in 2009 and was one of Dr. Toys 100 best products in 2011.

The game board unfolds to show a world map separated into regions associated with animal habitats. At the bottom of the board are places showing weight, length and tail length. There are 360 beautifully illustrated cards featuring all kinds of animals including but not limited to birds, reptiles, fish and mammals.

To play, a person shows the top half of the card of an animal for all players to see. Taking turns, players place one of their seven bet cubes on the board and try to guess the animal's weight, length, height, tail length and the areas of the world where that animal lives. Going first has a distinct advantage because once a region of the board is selected, it cannot be chosen by another player.

For example, if one player thinks the alligator lives in the Mexico area, a bet cube would be placed there. No other players may select Mexico that turn. After all players have passed and do not want to place another cube on the board, the bottom half of the animal card is completely revealed to show all of its statistics.

Players score points for their correctly placed cubes, including points for cubes that are in the correct proximity of the true answer. If players guess incorrectly, they lose the cubes they placed temporarily, so players must be cautious or lose their guessing cubes. With the turn complete, a new animal card is shown and play begins again, repeating the same steps. The game ends when a set amount of points are earned.

Fauna is a wonderful game that will hold appeal for educators, animal lovers and families. Players will have fun guessing and learning important facts about animals. With 360 different cards it is rare that the cards will repeat. The game comes with the highest of recommendations.