Editing Monitor lizard (section)

==Intelligence==
{{See also|Animal cognition}}
[[File:Monitor lizard at Kaziranga National Park.jpg|thumb|A [[Bengal monitor]] eating a bird egg in [[Kaziranga National Park]]]]
At least some species of monitors are known to be able to count; studies feeding [[rock monitor]]s varying numbers of snails showed that they can distinguish numbers up to six.<ref name="King2">King, Dennis & Green, Brian. 1999. ''Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards''. University of New South Wales Press. {{ISBN|0-86840-456-X}}, p. 43.</ref><ref name ="varanoid">Pianka, E.R.; King, D.R. and King, R.A. (2004). ''Varanoid Lizards of the World.'' Indiana University Press.</ref> [[Nile monitor]]s have been observed to cooperate when foraging; one animal lures the female crocodile away from her nest, while the other opens the nest to feed on the eggs. The decoy then returns to also feed on the eggs.<ref name="King2"/><ref name="varanoid"/> [[Komodo dragon]]s at the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoo in Washington, DC]], recognize their keepers and seem to have distinct personalities.<ref name="varanoid"/> [[Varanus macraei|Blue]] and [[Emerald tree monitor|green tree monitors]] in British zoos have been observed shredding leaves, apparently as a form of play.<ref name=Kane2019>{{ cite journal | title=Play behaviour by captive tree monitors, Varanus macraei and Varanus prasinus | last1=Kane | first1=D | last2=Davis | first2=AC | last3=Michaels |first3=C | journal=Herpetological Bulletin  | issue=149 | pages=28–31 | year=2019 |doi=10.33256/hb149.2831| doi-access=free }}</ref>