Females may lay 100 eggs in loose masses. The larvae metamorphose in August and September and may be smaller upon transformation then when they were larvae. They overwinter underground in burrows or other debris in October. Both adults and larvae alike are extremely voracious feeders consuming anything that is smaller than themselves. They snap quickly and sometimes use their tongue to catch prey, but they are also very clumsy hunters.
Some larvae become cannibalistic.
These have huge heads compared to other larvae and also metamorphose faster. Some populations of tiger salamanders are progenetic. The larvae become sexually mature without transforming into a terrestrial adult. Adults also secrete a milky toxin from glands on the back and tail for defense.