Nidorino is larger than his pre-evolution. His forehead horn is larger, as well as his ears and the spines on his back. He has grown large fang teeth, and has three clawed toes instead of two, as was the case for its pre-evolution.
Gender differences
Nidorino is the male of the species. For the female counterpart, see Nidorina.
Special abilities
Capable of goring with its horn, Nidorino are much fiercer than Nidoran♂. Their long spines ooze poison on contact with foes. Its horn is capable of piercing a diamond.
Behavior
Nidorino is independent and are often fierce, being described as aggressive and violent.
Nidorino live in expansive hot savannas and plains. They share their home range with Nidorina and can normally be found in Kanto, with rare sightings in Sinnoh as well.
A Nidorino appeared in the first episode under the ownership of Bruno, battling a Gengar in a battle Ash was watching on TV. This also means that, Nidorino and Gengar are also the very first Pokémon seen in the anime.
Much later, at the beginning of the FireRed & LeafGreen arc, another Nidorino appears in the wild, against whom Red urges a child to take the Gengar on his belt and fight it to weaken it. This again references the opening sequence of the Generation I remakes Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
Its horn is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
It is also the first Pokémon to be both seen and captured in Pokémon Adventures, in much the same way.
Nidorino, along with Gengar (and, possibly, other Pokémon), originate from the old manga, Capsule Monsters, which is considered the ancestor to the Pokémon franchise.
Nidorino's alternate coloration is the same as Nidorina's normal coloration. Likewise, Nidorina's alternate coloration matches Nidorino's normal coloration.
Origin
Nidorino appears to be based on a porcupine or a rabbit, mouse or even a hamster, as seen by their aggressive and independent nature.
Name origin
Nidorino's name may be based on the word needle and rhinoceros. It may also be based on cnidocyte, a type of venomous cell responsible for the stings delivered by stinging animals, most notably, by jellyfish. Alternatively, it may be based on 二 ni, two, or 二度 nido, two times/two degrees, referring to there being two distinct evolutionary lines using the name with similar names and traits. The rino in its name most likely alludes to its male gender - in many languages, such as Spanish, names and words ending in o are an indication for the male gender.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.