megafauna

noun

mega·​fau·​na ˈme-gə-ˌfȯ-nə 

-ˌfä-

1

: animals (such as bears, bison, or mammoths) of particularly large size

2

: fauna consisting of individuals large enough to be visible to the naked eye

megafaunal

ˈme-gə-ˌfȯ-nᵊl 

-ˌfä-

adjective

Examples of megafauna in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The guest speaker is archaeologist Adam Niesley, who will discuss the story of 12,000 years of humanity in San Diego, about adaptations to changing climates, shifting coastlines, disappearing megafauna and new food resources. — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026

According to this theory, those now-extinct megafauna—the giant ground sloths and the giant beavers, the mastodons and mammoths, and even the lions and dire wolves—were relatively quickly hunted to extinction. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

The Pleistocene megafauna our ancestors hunted are largely extinct. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Both species are highly charismatic megafauna. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for megafauna

• avifauna
• hinayana
• macrofauna
• mahayana
• majorana
• marianna
• marihuana
• marijuana
• microfauna
• ana
• bwana
• dhyana