secondary consumers
Hunters of herbivores
Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers—the herbivores that feed on plants.
In a food chain, they occupy the third level: plants are eaten by herbivores, which are eaten by secondary consumers.
Most secondary consumers are carnivores or omnivores: Frogs are secondary consumers that eat plant-eating insects.
The term belongs to ecology and biology education.
Web-spinning eight-legged creatures
- frogsLeaping, croaking amphibians
- lizardsSmall scaly reptiles
- shrewsSmall, sharp-snouted mammals
- molesBurrowing insectivore mammals
bats · swallows · warblers · anteaters · hedgehogs · chameleons · geckos · dragonflies
Keen-eyed birds of prey
- owlsNocturnal birds of prey
- wolvesWild pack canines
- lionsLarge African wild felines
- sharksLarge predatory fish
eagles · snakes · frogs · spiders · dolphins · seals · leopards · cheetahs
Power moving between systems
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- population controlPolicies limiting demographic growth
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- ecological balanceStable ecosystem state
Drifting aquatic microorganisms
- small fishDiminutive aquatic creature
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
- squidTen-armed marine mollusk
- octopusEight-limbed sea mollusk
sea stars · crabs · lobsters · shrimp · coral reef fish · barracuda · tuna · mackerel
spiders
Web-spinning eight-legged creatures
moles · bats · swallows · warblers · anteaters · hedgehogs · chameleons · geckos · dragonflies · praying mantis
hawks
Keen-eyed birds of prey
sharks · eagles · snakes · frogs · spiders · dolphins · seals · leopards · cheetahs · jaguars
energy transfer
Power moving between systems
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- population controlPolicies limiting demographic growth
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
zooplankton
Drifting aquatic microorganisms
- small fishDiminutive aquatic creature
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
- squidTen-armed marine mollusk
octopus · sea stars · crabs · lobsters · shrimp · coral reef fish · barracuda · tuna · mackerel · sea anemones
bears
Supports or tolerates
opossums · skunks · badgers · monkeys · rodents · chickens · turtles · robins · ducks · starlings
vultures
Large carrion-eating raptors
jackals · crabs · carrion beetles · maggots · opossums · Tasmanian devils · condors · gulls · catfish · hagfish
- consumersherbivores, carnivores, omnivores, predators, grazers
- food websfood web, food chain, food chains, producer, consumer
- life formsorganisms, organism, lifeforms, animal, creatures
- ecosystemsrainforest, forest, desert, jungle, ocean
secondary consumersproducers
Those who create goods
autotrophs · plants · phytoplankton · algae · photosynthesizers
consume, secondary, consuming, consumption, consumers, consumable, secondarily, consumerism, overconsumption