Editing Xenomorph (section)

===Intelligence===
During various events in ''Alien Resurrection'' on the USM ''Auriga'', the crossover film ''Alien vs. Predator'', ''Aliens'' on the LV-426 colony Hadley's Hope, and ''Alien 3'' when they are trying to trap the alien, the species displayed [[observational learning]] and [[problem solving|problem-solving]] skills.<ref name="A2"/><ref name="A4"/> It's also shown the ability to operate machinery at a very basic level, with the queen in ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' depicted operating an elevator.<ref name="mother" />

On the USM ''Auriga'' in ''Alien Resurrection'', the aliens kill one of their own, using its blood to melt through their enclosure and escape (according to the novelization, it was inspired to do so from genetic memories inherited from the original Ripley); in ''Alien vs. Predator'', they use a similar strategy to free the queen from her chains. An alien also uses acid spurting from its severed tail as an improvised weapon by flicking it, indicating awareness of the effects of their acid blood.

In the original film, it is implied that the alien cut the lights on board the ''Nostromo.'' On LV-426, the xenomorphs cut power in a section of the complex to gain access to the humans.

The novel for the film ''Aliens'' includes a scene where Bishop speculates on the reason why the queen established her "nest" at the base's main power plant. His reasons range from an animalistic drive for warmth to an intentional strategic selection (any attacker could not destroy her without destroying the entire facility). In the director's commentary for ''Aliens'', James Cameron noted that the creatures in ''Aliens'' had been alive for far longer than the Alien in the original, and had more time to learn about their environment. In ''Alien 3'', Ripley and the inmates try luring the Alien into the lead works. It becomes obvious that the Alien recognized the trap and the danger it held. At one point, it hesitates to enter the lead works. Later, it hunts down most of the prisoners just before going into the lead works.