Very dependent on water. At the zoo, they eat hay and alfalfa pellets fed inside at night. Live in stable family groups of up to 17 animals headed by a single stallion. Females establish a dominance hierarchy. During travel, group is led by the dominant female and her foal, followed by other females in their order of dominance.
Members recognize each other by sight primarily, but also by voice and smell.
Families maintain close bonds even during extended migrations with thousands of other zebra and wildebeest. The stallion is the rear guard when the family flees from a predator. Zebras are gregarious under conditions of abundant food or around water holes. Males have displays, including a sort of barking whinny, that seem to minimize aggression at such times. Males are not sexually mature until 5 to 6 years of age, although in zoos breeding may occur at 3 years of age.