While feeding, it drops on its padded wrists and frequently shuffles along in this position. Home range there varied from 64 to 374 ha. Most bands contained 4-16 individuals, though groups of up to 40 have been reported. Most groups represent a temporary aggregation of young males or an association of adult females that may have lasting bonds and occupy an area for years. The different groups within a clan have overlapping ranges and share holes and other resources.
Adult males are usually solitary but join the female groups briefly for mating.
At such times, males engage in highly ritualized battles in which they push and strike with the head and the blunt upper tusks. The warts on the sides of the head serve to cushion the blows, and injuries are rare. There seems to be no territorial defense, but there sometimes is competition for resources, such as water holes, and the area being used at a given time is marked with saliva and secretions from glands around the eyes. Vocalizations include various grunts, growls, snorts, and squeals, which are used for greeting, contact maintenance, threats, warning, and submission. In Zimbabwe, mating occurs in May and June, and births in October and November.