Zora
"They say that Ruto, the Zora Princess who is known for her selfish nature, likes a certain boy..." — Gossip Stone
The Zoras are a recurring race of aquatic creatures in the Zelda series. The majority of the creatures are tall, humanoid and blue skinned. But they can differ from game to game and even in the same game there are Zoras that look totally different from the others. King Zora XVI has a big and round body type, Rutela has a mermaid look while Ralis is very short and looks like a hybrid between a Zora and a Human. Some people suggested that there are subspecies, and this is correct. There are River-Zoras and Sea-Zoras.
The River-Zoras are the monsters Link fights throughout some games, they pop out of the water and fire energy balls at Link. The Sea-Zoras on the other hand are the kind and peaceful creatures that we interact with in games. The appearance of the two differs also, The River-Zoras are monsters while the Sea-Zoras are more humanoid and aren't evil. And don't let the names of the subspecies confuse you, Sea-Zoras can appear in Rivers too and vice versa.
Biology
Zoras resemble other marine creatures. They have swimfins on each arms, And in Majora's Mask Link used them as some sort of Boomerang. Their head has a tail that stretches out on the back. Most of them are humanoid looking but there are exceptions such as Toto, King Zora, Ralis etc. The males and females are hard to specify, since they look very similair and if the person isn't wearing clothes it's almost impossible to judge. The Zoras reproduce with eggs, As seen in Majora's Mask. Rutela in Twilight Princess looked more like a mermaid, And in that game the Zoras had armor instead of being "naked".
As with Dekus and Gorons the Zora usually have a larger purpose in the plot and aren't just for show. And the leaders have been shown to be a little different from the general Zora and male too. Toto in Majora's Mask is a respected manager and he is very round, King Zora XVI from Ocarina of Time is also very large and is also in a place of leadership.
The River-Zoras are more monster looking and haven't been shown so much. So we don't really know that much about them except that they like to fire energy bursts at Link. They have fangs and look more like monster fishes than Zoras.
Certain other features of the Zora biology are revealed when the player can inhabit the body of the Zora Mikau in Majora's Mask When Link assumes his Zora body he can swim with great ease and agility, using his forearm fins to perform barrel rolls or to jump out of the water. Moreover, these fins are specialized for Link's fighting needs. They can grow larger to serve as sharp-edged weapons similar to swords, and even be projected as twin boomerangs; they retract again when not in use. Link's right fin also grows to become his shield when defending.
Additionally, Zoras who possess magical power have the ability to create electric fields around their bodies as a defense mechanism when swimming, much like electric eels. This ability has only been seen and used in Majora's Mask. All Zoras are powerful swimmers, in fact, powerful enough to swim up waterfalls, as seen in Twilight Princess.
It is also revealed in Majora's Mask that Zoras lay eggs to reproduce. Zora eggs need to be kept in cold, clean water in order to develop healthily, and every egg from the same clutch must be kept together in order for them to hatch. Newborn Zoras are tadpole-like with a circular body and a long, skinny tail ending in a fluke, much like a note.
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Evolution
Eiji Aounoma has said that the Rito are the evolved form of the Zora, They are half-bird half-human. And the Rito make many references to the Zora which confirms this even further. But the most convincing is the fact that Medli shares the bloodline of the Zora Sage Laruto. And we see the symbol of the Zora's Sapphire in multiple places in the Rito coven, and even on the clothing on some of the Ritos. And Zoras and Ritos have many similarities in their appearance, Ritos have wings that hang down their elbows and Zoras have fins.
