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A secondary consumer is one that eats a primary consumer, and is therefore either carnivorous or omnivorous. These trophic levels are not innate to the organism, and it can change its behavior and therefore its place in the food chain. Producers cannot become consumers, and consumers cannot become producers, but secondary consumers can become primary consumers, or tertiary consumers, etc.

Two examples of secondary consumers in the ocean would be the orca (a carnivorous mammal), and the whale shark (an omnivorous fish). Secondary consumers are not necessarily apex predators, although those two are. Squids are also typically secondary consumers, and are not apex predators.

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16y ago

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