The Goron: Zelda Equivalent of the Giant Panda

[Mases 0]

Hey guys, Mases here from Zelda Dungeon. We posted this article over at the site and it's a decent read, discussing the biological/evolutionary look at the Goron's from the Zelda series. Please Digg the article, that would be much appreciated.

http://digg.com/nintendo/The_Goron_Zelda_Equivalent_of_the_Giant_Panda

Gorons can often be found in the Death Mountain region ever since Ocarina of Time. In the Zelda world the Gorons are strong fighters and good miners, but in the world of biology they would be one of natures evolutionary mistakes. If we examine this race closer, what is devastating for the survival of the Goron?

A Rocky Diet

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One of the reasons why I compare the Goron with the Giant Panda is very simple. They both are large, peaceful animals who live off of a food source with very little nutritional value. Pandas have to eat 30 pounds (14 kilos) of bamboo to sustain itself. Gorons only eat rocks, but a rock doesn’t contain organic substances needed to build proteins, fats, or even DNA. The only way that the Goron could survive off this diet is by photosynthesis or chemolithotrophy (the ability to make organic substances from inorganic substances by chemical reactions).

Since Gorons don’t have green pigments needed for photosynthesis, chemolithotrophy is the only option. Only some micro-organisms use chemolithotrophy to survive, so the Goron needs to have a symbiotic relationship (a relationship between organisms that benefits both) with a micro-organism to make his diet sort of possible. This necessary symbiotic relationship means that the Goron has to eat rocks that are useful for his symbiont (like sulfur-rich rocks), therefore making his diet very limited. Ocarina of Time showed that the Gorons had a very limited diet, because they could only eat rocks in Dodongo cavern. The Goron can’t adapt quickly to new types of food because of the symbiotic relationship he has, making a simple boulder blocking the entrance of their food cave disastrous. Overall, the weird diet of the Goron isn’t helping him in the struggle for survival.

Check out the full article here,

http://www.zeldadungeon.net/2010/02/the-goron-zelda-equivalent-of-the-giant-panda/

[FreckleFart 0]

Why do people take these games so seriously? It's Zelda, it's not meant to make sense.