An organism that eats secondary consumers is called a ...

• A. Producer
• B. Secondary consumer
• C. Primary consumer
• D. Tertiary consumer

Answer: (D)

In food chains, organisms are grouped by who they eat. Producers make energy from sunlight, primary consumers eat those producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, and those that eat secondary consumers are at the next step—tertiary consumers. This placement reflects how energy moves upward and why fewer individuals exist at higher levels. So an organism that eats secondary consumers is a tertiary consumer. For example, a hawk that preys on snakes fits this category because the snakes themselves typically eat other animals that are one trophic level below, placing the hawk at a higher, tertiary level.