Why do Au Ra females have boobs?

[Cilia]

While it is true that many animals develop unique shapes specifically for the purpose of attracting mates (though, oddly, in most cases it's the male that has them, not the female), there's another theory I read about regarding the origins of the human shape that I found interesting, as well. ... The theory was also an explanation as to why humans have so little body hair; like many mammals that spend a great deal of time in the water, extra body hair was superfluous.

I don't mean to debate the reason itself as to why women have visibly developed breasts. The point is there's no clear reason, and thus there doesn't need to be a clear or logical reason why Au Ra have breasts by extension. (Plus the original question was posed on the assumption that Au Ra are reptiles / scalekin... which is not true.)

Again, even if you want to argue that they are, it's probably a design choice stemming from how humanoid shapes are easier to identify and sympathize with. Even though Warcraft's draenei are blue-skinned people with horns and ungulate legs, they still have a basic human shape (and yes, the females have boobs) despite coming from a different world altogether. A human form is just easier to identify with... regardless of whether or not it makes sense. (Compare a race of aliens from Star Trek: Starfleet Command whose name I forget, but they had three arms, three legs, three sexes, and breathed methane. Not so easy to relate to, eh?)

This is a weird question. They have hair, they have non-scaly skin... they're basically just regular folk with horns and a few other minor differences. They're certainly mammals, from a biological perspective. Their relation to dragons seems significantly more distant than their relation to Hyume(ans). If they have regular skin and regular hair, it would be weirder if they DIDN'T have breasts.

One might more reasonably ask, "why don't Lalafell have breasts?" They're mammalian, too, and probably nurse their young... yet the females seem to lack the facilities necessary to do so. Where are their milk glands, if there's no room for them on their chests?

This comes back to the visibly developed breasts of human females being mostly fat and connective tissue. (And for the love of Hydaelyn, Au Ra are NOT related to dragons in any discernable way despite what appearances might suggest!) The mammary glands that produce milk are beneath the breasts, believe it or not, not inside of them. Humans are also the only mammals who display permanently enlarged breasts in females; the mammary glands and breasts of other mammals do enlarge during pregnancy and while nursing, but otherwise females remain similar to the males of their species in that respect.

Saying "Well they're mammals, obviously they'd have boobs!" isn't enough. (As much as I wish it were.)

As for why female lalafell appear to lack a significant bust? Well, aside from the "attracts attention" hypothesis, the only other leading hypothesis on why human females have permanently developed breasts is that it helps infants suckle. Seeing as lalafell faces are kind of flat, I doubt it would be an issue for them. (Design-wise lalafell are supposed to evoke young children regardless of how physically mature the lalafell in question actually is, so it makes sense from that angle as well.)

[CGMidlander]

Blame the Allagans!

[LineageRazor]

Blame the Allagans!

From the fishing log description of aetherochemical compound #123...

Unlike anything else on Eorzea, compound #123 is thought to be another of the Allagan Empire's failed chimerical creations. The creature seems to be harmless enough, feeding only on the tiny water lice which inhabit Azys Lla's aetherochemical pools. Its outer hide, however, has given many a naturalist pause as it bears a texture almost identical to that of a Lalafell's skin.

[Saraphin]

Now, from what i've read, in both my Encyclopedia Eorzea, and heard, the main thing (i don't recall a live letter saying they were demon-kin) that i've gathered are as follows:

- The Dawn Father and the Dusk Mother "created" the Au'ra to fight their battles.
- Scholars are still arguing if they are draconic or Void-sent in base origin. (i simply do not recall anything said either way, but i don't watch every Live Letter and i didn't watch the fan fests)
- They essentially started out to kill each other because the Dawn Father and Dusk mother were arguing (i'm putting it lightly)
- Why do they have breasts? I would assume it is because, as a few have said: attraction. in this case, i'd go back to old ways of describing women. "Birthing Hips". they were considered attractive because they gave an ease of birth. well endowed women were considered good choices because big breasts = plenty of milk for the babies. (untrue, but that's how people's minds worked) if we want to go that route (and given generally how i would assume they are mammalian in nature) then they show that they are females capable of feeding a child on the go, because i'm not sure baby bottles are a thing in Eorzea. at least i've never seen one.

Alternately, you could say that they have them because "Fantasy Female". either way, it's a design choice to simply show that they are female would be my guess.

[uvuvwevwevweonyetenyevweugwemu]

Well I don't know how the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother created them but mammalian glands aren't necessarily exclusive to mammals. A little wiki search turns out a theory how the glands to be in its current form from the proto mammal like reptillians called Synapsid. Modern mammals just happen to make extensive use of it. Given Au'ra have body structure like all races so can they have more use for it.

[Yuriane]

Well I don't know how the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother created them but mammalian glands aren't necessarily exclusive to mammals.

While that's definitely an interesting theory it's unfortunately irrelevant because Au Ra are clearly mammals, not reptiles. They have one (1) reptilian feature in their scales, and a wealth of mammalian features, not least the fact it's confirmed they can crossbreed with Hyurs who are also mammals. Plus there's like 20% chance that this Dawn Father and Dusk Mother were from a super-advanced society like the Allagans and created the Au Ra from Hyurs, thus at most making Au Ra mammal-reptile chimera and at least just making them mammals with decorative scales.

I don't want to sound too condescending but it really not that hard to figure out that the pet name of "lizard" is just that, a pet name.

[Arakarn]

So nobody's going to bring up how there's actually a sidequest in which there's direct mention of a hyur/au'ra baby being born with almost no scales in the far past?

[LineageRazor]

So nobody's going to bring up how there's actually a sidequest in which there's direct mention of a hyur/au'ra baby being born with almost no scales in the far past?

Uh... It WAS mentioned. In the post DIRECTLY above yours, in fact. XD

[Annana]

For the record it's Au Ra. Not Au'ra and not Aura. Au Ra.

Elf, Elves, Elven.
Au Ra, Au Ra, Auri.

On topic, Au Ra designs are inspired by demons and dragons, but they are lorewise related to neither. They are a spoken race that happens to have scales, horns, and a tail. Just like Miqo'te are a spoken race that happen to have cat ears and a tail. They are mammals, do not lay eggs, and can cross breed with other spoken races.

[Nialle]

May as well ask why Miqote don't have six, given that they're cat-based. =P