A female begins to exhibit behavioral estrus at about 2 years of age. Behavior Burchell's zebras are social. They live in permanent small family groups made up of a stallion and one to several mares and their foals. There is a dominance hierarchy among the females in the group, with the stallion's first mate at the apex and his most recently acquired filly at the bottom. Bachelor stallions may live singly or in non-familial groups.
Group size varies with the quality of the local habitat.
Breeding males do not allow other males to mate with the mares, and they defend their family group from predators by biting and kicking. Zebras have been known to kill hyaenas with a kick. Many family groups can come together to form a herd, and herds of zebras often graze in association with herds of other species, such as wildebeests. Habitat Burchell's zebras graze mainly in open, short-grass savanna. They can tolerate somewhat tall grass and sparsely wooded conditions, however, which gives them a greater geographical range than many of the other African grazing animals.