How to Use ZoaID.org
The best way to identify a zoa is to ask someone who knows. Most of us don’t know someone like that, though.
The second best way is to just look through photos of zoas until you find the one you’re trying to identify. That’s because the extreme variation in zoas, even within a specific morph, makes it impossible to create a search function that identifies the exact zoa you’re looking for.
I mean, look at the variation just in these Fire & Ice zoas:
And now look at how different these zoas are:
How do you classify those in a way that makes them easily searchable? You can’t.
So the best we can do is help you get a list of photos that’s short enough to scan through quickly. That’s what we’ve built at ZoaID.org.
Use the Filters link at the top of the results on the homepage and start with the skirt color, because that’s usually the easiest to define.
Then, if you need a shorter list, choose the ring color (if it has one). That’s also usually pretty clear.
Finally, use the inner color and/or outer color to narrow down the list even more if you need to.
We use "inner color" and "outer color" very loosely, and they vary from zoa to zoa. What’s the most prominent color in the middle of the zoa? That’s what we call the inner color. (There may be more than one, so just pick one.) What’s the most prominent color on the outside right next to the skirt? That’s what we call the outer color.
Have questions? Suggestions? Let us know!