The terrestrial adults overwinter underground in burrows or other debris in October. It is presumed that this increase reflects new localities for tiger salamanders, and not population size at a given locality. They may be declining more in some areas than others due to variable circumstances. 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. Varying factors contribute to the development of the cannibalistic morph. Some populations of tiger salamanders are progenetic. The larvae become sexually mature without transforming into a terrestrial adult.