dýra

Dýra is the Icelandic term commonly used to refer to animals—multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that feed by ingesting other organisms. In everyday language it denotes animals in general, while scientific contexts place them in the biological kingdom Animalia. Animals range from simple sponges to complex mammals, and they occupy nearly every habitat on Earth, from oceans to deserts and high mountains.

Taxonomy and diversity: Animals are divided into major groups such as invertebrates (for example insects, mollusks, crustaceans) and vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals). Classification relies on features such as body plans, embryonic development, tissues, and genetics. The animal kingdom encompasses tens of millions of species described, with many more yet unnamed, and new discoveries continue to refine relationships among lineages.

Ecology and life history: Animals act as predators, prey, pollinators, decomposers, and symbiotic partners in ecosystems. Reproduction is diverse, including sexual and asexual strategies, with life cycles ranging from direct development to complete metamorphosis. Human activities affect animal populations through habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and overexploitation, making biodiversity conservation a central environmental concern.

Etymology and usage in Icelandic: Dýr is the base Icelandic word for animal, used for a single animal. Dýra occurs in inflected forms such as possessive or dative cases in sentences. The term appears in Icelandic biology and natural history contexts to discuss animals collectively, ecology, and zoology, mirroring its use in many languages to describe the animal world.