t about six to ten years. Males become sexually mature when they reach about eighteen to twenty feet, at about ten to thirteen years.Mating Activity. Females become estrus several times during the year. Breeding may occur in any season, but is most common in the summertime. In the North Atlantic, mating seems to peak in October and November, but in the western North Pacific, mating seems to peak between May and July.Communication:Why Is It Important? Killer whales probably rely on sound production and reception to navigate, communicate, and hunt in dark or murky waters. Under these conditions, sight is of little use and communication becomes much more important.Sound Production. Killer whales produce clicks and sounds that resemble moans, trills, grunts, squeak, and creaking doors. They also produce whistles. They make these sounds at any time and at all depths. The sounds vary in volume, wavelength, frequency, and pattern.Each individual sound that a killer whale makes is termed a call. Calls that sound the same way time after time are stereotyped calls. All the stereotyped calls in a killer whale's repertoire make up a vocalization system called a dialect. Pods that associate with one another share certain calls....
