Aeralfos

Aeralfos are enemies from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. They appear to be a special variety of Lizalfos that has the ability to fly, and they wield shields and swords. Their shields have Clawshot designs on the front. Interestingly, the heads and general build of Aeralfos heavily resemble that of Lizalfos from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which themselves have little in common with Lizalfos from Twilight Princess.

There are three Aeralfos in the City in the Sky, two in the Cave of Ordeals and one in Hyrule Castle. One Aeralfos from the City in the Sky appears as the dungeon's mini-boss, and all the other Aeralfos are regular enemies that are not as strong as this Aeralfos. This Aeralfos is also the only one seen wearing a helmet.

Battle
The first battle with an Aeralfos is in the City in the Sky. Here, it acts as the mini-boss. Unlike the other battles, this Aeralfos has the ability to fly out of the room and back into it. The main weapon Link uses during the battle is the Clawshot. When the Aeralfos is preparing to attack, it raises its shield, which for some reason is designed like a Clawshot target. Using the Clawshot at the right moment brings the stunned Aeralfos hurtling towards Link. Link then uses his sword to attack it. Normally, Link must wait until the Aeralfos prepares to attack before using the Clawshot. However, using the Gale Boomerang against an Aeralfos causes it to raise its shield, leaving itself open to the Clawshot.

When the Aeralfos recovers, it jumps away from Link's sword attacks. If it is still standing on the ground, the Clawshot can be used, but it brings Link towards the Aeralfos, not the other way around. This gives the flying lizard a chance to attack Link with its sword. Link can effectively attack the Aeralfos using Hidden Skills, particularly the Helm Splitter, the Shield Attack, and the Back Slice.

The other battles with Aeralfos are much like this one. In the Cave of Ordeals, the two Aeralfos are joined by a Darknut, though because it is slow, it is a relatively simple task to focus on the Aeralfos while evading the Darknut.

Video
x8SDYTZ29EA

Etymology
This creature's name may be a portmanteau of aer-, aero-, aerial, or any of the other words or prefixes derived from the Greek word Aeras, which means air, and of the suffix -alfos, which is used in names of soldier-like enemies like its relative Lizalfos.

Aeralfos