Nidoran, Nidorina, Nidorino, Nidoqueen, & Nidoking
Nidoran♀ (#29) & Nidoran♂ (#30)
Nidorex infans feminae (Nidoran♀)
Nidorex infans masculus (Nidoran♂)
General Information: Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran are a small herbivorous species that are famous for their intense sexual dimorphism. This dimorphism impacts their base stats and their movepools.
Watch out, the horns on their heads are filled with a nasty venom!
The females are more sensitive to scent and changes in the weather, while males seem to have more acute hearing. This seems to be of benefit to each other as the different sexes specialize differently, allowing for the herd as a whole to better detect trouble.
The females average at 1’4 feet (0.4 M) and 15.4 pounds (7kg). The males average at 1’8 feet (0.5 M) and 19.8 pounds (9 kg).
Habitat: Nidoran can be found all over South Asia and the surrounding region, with a general preference for grassland habitats but not urban environments. They will live with their parents in their respective caves and large burrows until maturity.
Life Cycles: Nidorans are born every couple of years to litters of 2-4 calves to overly protective and doting parents. Nidorans rarely leave the security of their parents until they have evolved into Nidorina/Nidorino. Between both parents, there is a 75% first-year survival rate amongst Nidorans, with most deaths being a result of large predators like Ariados, random accidents, disease, and humans.
Nidorans are almost always too weak/young to reproduce in the wild, but even in captivity where they can reach higher levels, Nidorans seldom reproduce because of social reasons within the herd. Wild Nidos are typically at least three years old before they reproduce, at which point they are almost certainly at least a Nidorin@ if not a Nidoqueen/Nidoking.
Behavior: Nidos are hypersocial animals that form small to medium sized herds with each other. Nidorans in particular are playful and curious.
Diet: Nidorans mostly eat berries, fruits, insects, and nuts.
Conservation: Threatened. While Nidos are broadly quite capable of fending off poachers, their real issue is habitat loss.
Relationship with Humans: Nidoran make infrequent starter Pokémon in the South Asian (and surrounding regions) world. They are reasonably docile, good to train, and when raised by humans from a young age are quite agreeable companions. Outside of South Asia though, it is incredibly unlikely that anyone has a Nidoran or their evolved forms outside of foreign breeding programs.
Nidorans are commonly depicted in media as the go-to analogy for mix-gender twins and romantic lovers. They can be seen on many valentine’s day cards and twin birthday cards!
Classification: Nidorans are classified in the genus Nidorex. They are in the same Family as Aggrons and Rhydons.
Note: While rhinoceros-ish in appearance, the Nidos are not true rhinos and do not fully substitute for them in their respective Asian ecosystems. Their similarities are superficial at best, and they may in fact live alongside true rhinos.
Nidorina (#31) & Nidorino (#32)
Nidorex medius feminae (Nidorina)
Nidorex medius masculus (Nidorino)
General Information: Nidorin@s are the evolved form of Nidoran.
Nidorinas average at 2’7 feet (0.8 M) and 44.1 pounds (20 kg). Nidorinos average at 2’11 (0.9 M) and 43 pounds (19.5 kg).
Habitat: Nidorin@s can be found in South Asia and its surrounding environment.
Life Cycles: Nidorin@s make excellent parents. Nidorinas will carefully chew leaves, grasses, berries, and nuts for their babies until they’re a fine pulp.
Nidorina/Nidorino will live upwards of 40 years in captivity. However, Nidorina experience breeding difficulties in captivity stemming from their nervous and anxious personalities. Because of this, many breeders resort to Dittos, though some have mastered the fine art and hard science of Nido breeding.
When Nidos are socially and developmentally ready to mate at around 3 years old, they will have headbutting contests to win over mates—and this goes both ways! Females participate in headbutting contests just as much as the males do! The winners of these contests (often more than 1 in large enough herds) will be the ones who mate that year.
Behavior: Nidorin@s are anxious and nervous creatures, though excellent parents. Mothers will chew food for their young, and fathers will aggressively protect their babies from harm. Nidorinos in particular are known for being finicky and temperamental, however this is only a problem with poor upbringing. In the wild they are finicky and temperamental because they have to survive, their anxiety is a benefit to them, but in captivity their anxiety becomes a hinderance to their ability to socialize and play well with others, so please treat your Nido with love, care, and compassion toward their anxious natures from the start!
Many Nidos will spend a significant amount of time searching for Moon Stones to evolve.
Diet: Fruits, berries, leaves, nuts, and sometimes cobras! Strangely, this doesn’t seem to pit them in competition with Yongooses too often.
Conservation: Threatened
Relationship with Humans: Nidorin@s are fairly standard sorts of Pokémon to have. They make great companions, many folks have them as their starter, and they’re incredibly gentle with children—and protective of them! Really, a Nidorina or Nidorino is a great choice to have in the household, so long as they are treated with the love and care that they deserve. In Eastern media, they are regularly part of the protagonist’s team line-up (or one of their other Evolutionary forms).
In the children’s cartoon Tuesdays with Turtwig, there is a friend Nidorino who has a lot of anxiety and finds himself headbutting things without thinking, and shenanigans and life lessons ensue as Turtwig helps his friend solve his problems.
Nidorin@s are known for eating cobras (or Ekans/Arbok), giving them another utility amongst human society.
Classification: Nidorin@ is believed to be diverging point between themselves and the Rhyhorn line.
Evolution: Evolve from Nidoran at level 16.
Nidoqueen (#33) & Nidoking (#34)
Nidorex nidorex feminae (Nidoqueen)
Nidorex nidorex masculus (Nidoking)
General Information: Nidoqueens and Nidokings are both dangerous Pokémon that are incredibly protective of their young. Their claws can release a painful acid, and the spines on their backs inject venom—though the individual is capable of choosing when and if this venom is injected, especially around its children. Both are capable of immense destruction with their tails and claws.
Habitat: They live through South Asia and neighboring regions, but NOT in urban environments. They tend to live in “burrows” though these are more like caves.
Life Cycles: Contrary to popular belief, Nidoqueens can actually reproduce, they’re just super extremely finicky and captive breeding programs are practically rocket science just to get Nidoqueens to breed. So, most don’t. Because of this, most captive-breeding programs get newborns from Nidoking x Ditto pairings.
Nidoqueens and Nidokings are usually five or six (or older!) years old when they evolve. They do not engage with the headbutting contests of the Nidorin@s, instead they engage in their own courtship rituals with mates of their choice. In general, it’s the Nidokings competing for the affections of the Nidoqueens, but both regularly cross-mate with other Pokémon species, so it becomes more than competitions of strength, but also competitions of winning the individual over. Nidos are unique individuals who value different things! Romances are not all on the male’s efforts!
Nidos live for upwards of 40 years in captivity. They only mate every 2-4 years, depending on environmental circumstances and the individual.
Behavior: Wild (or poorly raised) Nidokings are known to go on rampages when protecting their herd or their territory. Nidoqueens tend to be more level-headed, and use this milder temperament to ease the aggression of their Nidoking counterparts. Both are gentle parents, who use their thick, diamond-hard armor to protect their offspring from threats.
Diet: Fruits, berries, branches, nuts, and snakes. They have also been known to hunt Ariadoses… whether it’s for sport or for eating, is hard to say.
Conservation: Threatened.
Relationship with Humans: Nidoqueens and Nidokings make excellent companions, though they do require a competent trainer to raise them well. They are quintessential “parents” in media, alongside a few others such as Leavanny, Kangaskhan, and Drampa.
In the wild, Nidokings and Nidoqueens are a terrifying presence to behold, and are the cause of death for many poachers and illegal loggers annually.
Many daycares and kindergartens in South Asia have a Nidoqueen or Nidoking amongst its Pokémon staff and inhabitants, very much because of their gentleness and protective natures. While potentially dangerous, they are no danger to the children, and there is little concern over their presence. Because they are starter Pokémon, they are a completely normal sight to see in amongst the general population. They are especially useful amongst the Rangers and Task Force members of South Asia, who value their dependability, strength, and ferocity when dealing with dangerous situations.
In Tuesdays with Turtwig, the Nidorino friend has two parents, Nidoqueen and Nidoking, who are seen occasionally.
Classification: It is unclear whether the Aggron or Rhyhorn lineages are more closely related, but both seem to have diverged within the last 6-8 million years.
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