The Zorca (Zora Orca)

🐋 The Basics 

The average zorca is larger than a hylian zora, ranging from 15 to 20 ft in height. They're bulkier and wider, carrying more fat/blubber which protects them from harsh elements, being completely immune to ice and lightning specifically. Because of their size they don't go inland very often.

Unlike the zora in Hyrule, the zorca have more mammalian traits. They have blowholes in order to breathe in oxygen, they give live birth and nourish their young with milk, they have fat and blubber instead of scales, and they use echolocation to hunt and detect things (a fantastic visual comparison can be found here!)

The zorca are nomadic by nature and are highly adaptable. They can thrive in artic/subarctic, tropical and subtropical areas. They are apex predators meaning they are at the top of the food chain. Their diet consists of fish, and other marine life such as seals, sharks, whales, and monsters. Zorca don't stay in one place too long to avoid over hunting (other races gotta eat too!) They don't prey upon other Hylian races, but there have been some startling encounters between them and their smaller zora cousins at times!

🐋 Their Hierarchy 

Zorca families are matriarchal. A female zorca, usually the progenitor of the pod, leads her family. And she passes all her knowledge down to her daughters, from hunting techniques, migration routes, to child rearing. 

The Grandmother Matriarch, her sisters, and eldest daughters all form a council and make decisions for the pod. Daughters of each generation are taught the lessons of their foremothers and become a potential candidate as a future leader. 

Choosing a matriarch of a pod is a once in a lifetime event since zorca are a long lived race. While each woman is raised to become a candidate for matriarch, in the end, the role is bestowed through a vote from the entire pod. Creating a new pod is surprisingly not as common either. Daughters are allowed to strike out on their own to establish their own, but they find it difficult to maintain without the support of their family. Many end up returning to their original pod with a child or two in tow!

🐋 Social Behaviors

🫧 A pod is led by a Grandmother Matriarch. Decisions are made between her, her sisters (if any) and her eldest daughters. Said decisions include things like where to travel, when to hunt, and on the rarest occasion – who to exile.

🫧 Both male and female zorca have privileges and restrictions among the family.

🫧 All adults save for the very elderly, pregnant or nursing are expected to help in a hunt. 

🫧 Mother’s with young children or who are expecting get first pick of each hunt. If asked, men will give up their share to help them keep their strength up.

🫧 Male zorca are allowed more freedom than their sisters. They are slightly spoiled; with mothers hunting for them more than their daughters. The goal is to see their sons reach adulthood so they can sire healthy babies.

🫧 The men are allowed to leave the pod whenever they want without being questioned. And they can be absent for as long as they wish. Most of the time they visit other pods to court zorca. Ultimately, many return to their matrilineal pods.

🫧 Women zorca stay with their mothers and grandmother to learn about the responsibilities of leadership. There are other roles they can choose from ranging from lead hunter, bard/historian, teacher, midwife, scouting, diplomat/envoy and many more.

💖 Courtship 💖

🫧 Turning the Wheel - A large courtship event where many zorca pods come together and participate in a “race” that begins in the Lanayru Sea and ends at the center of Rist Peninsula. During the journey, individuals may find a partner to race with, and may choose to pursue a relationship if they reach the end together. All are welcome to join; new faces, experienced runners, those with non-zorca partners. The event itself does not have to be finished, there’s no prize for anyone who arrives first. It’s about the camaraderie and celebration of life! Zorca don't have to wait for the courting event to seek partnerships either. It's just easier when all the pods are together in one space.

🫧 Male zorca employ various methods to attract partners. From feats of strength, athletic displays and singing. They can form bonds with partners of any gender which can last a lifetime. 

🫧 Fights can break out between competing individuals, but the injuries are never too serious.

🫧 Teeth Raking can be a form of affection during courtship. A zorca runs their teeth along the skin of the one they're courting. It can often leave light marks, and possibly more permanent scars depending on how rough they are.

🫧 Zorca are polygamous but men and women can develop a preference towards a partner if their bond is strong enough. Example, two zorca may meet repeatedly over the years to produce children.

🤝 Bonds with other Hylian Races 🤝

🫧 While it's not taboo for a zorca to seek the company of someone from another race, it's preferred their trysts help increase their population.

🫧 Even so, some prefer to love freely without the heavy responsibility hanging over their heads. As well as not having to deal with the difficulty of finding another zorca somewhere in the vast ocean!

🫧 More often than not, these particular relationships rarely form lasting bonds due to the zorca’s nomadic nature.