Tasmania has a distinctive fauna, even in Australian contexts, but it illustrates a range of principles that are globally relevant. This unit will provide students with an understanding of the factors that influence the diversity and distribution of biota, with an emphasis on insular systems (island biogeography) and the roles of abiotic and biotic factors. Some fauna will be approached from the perspective of their ecosystems (e.g., freshwater animals), while others will be dealt with on a taxon-by-taxon basis, but emphasising aspects of their ecology and evolutionary history that can explain their present diversity and distribution. The unit also challenges students to critically assess questions of relevance to fauna conservation, drawing support from published sources. The practical component develops proficiency in field survey design and techniques, and downstream critique of results. The combination of this unit with the field-based the summer school KPZ301 Field Botany and KPZ313 Plants of Tasmania provides some of the best undergraduate training in practical field ecology in Australia.