Burchell's zebras inhabit savannas, from treeless grasslands to open woodlands; they sometimes occur in tens of thousands in migratory herds on the Serengeti plains. Grevy's zebras are now mainly restricted to parts of northern Kenya. Although they are adapted to semi-arid conditions and require less water than other zebra species, these zebras compete with domestic livestock for water and have suffered heavy poaching for their meat and skins.

Zebras live in social groups. The leader of the group is the stallion. The females that live in the group are called fillies. A female zebra can have her first foal by the age of three, and can give birth to a foal every twelve months. Foals are brown in color when they are born and are close to their mothers, but the male foal is also close to its father. The foals leave the group anytime from the time they reach 1 year old.

Zebras sleep standing up like horses. They communicate by barking, snorting or whinnying. A zebra's ears communicate if it is feeling calm or tense. If its ears are standing straight up, it is feeling calm. When the zebra's ears are pushed forward, it is feeling tense or frightened.

Zebras like to associate with other animals such as baboons, giraffes, impala and kudu, however, the most common association is between the zebra and the wildebeest. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have not been truly domesticated.

Zebra foals are born after an 11 to 12 month gestation period. The young zebra is able to stand shortly after birth and able to walk within 15 minutes of birth and can run after only an hour. Newborns have a mane down the back to the tail and are brown, black and white. Zebra foals begin to change to adult colouration after 4 months. Although a foal may graze within a week of birth, they continue to suckle for up to 16 months. The average infant mortality is about 50%, mostly due to predation by lions and spotted hyena.