* Primary Consumers: Herbivores that eat plants (e.g., rabbits, caterpillars, deer).
* Secondary Consumers: Carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers (e.g., foxes, owls, snakes).
* Tertiary Consumers: Carnivores or omnivores that eat secondary consumers (e.g., hawks, wolves, sharks).
Examples of Tertiary Consumers:
* Hawks: Prey on snakes, which eat mice (primary consumers).
* Wolves: Hunt deer (primary consumers) and elk (primary consumers).
* Sharks: Eat fish (secondary consumers) and other sharks (secondary consumers).
* Orcas: Eat seals, sea lions (secondary consumers), and sometimes even sharks.
* Humans: Can be tertiary consumers when they eat meat from animals that have already consumed other animals (e.g., a steak).
Important Note: Food webs are complex, and an animal can sometimes be considered a tertiary consumer in one ecosystem but a secondary consumer in another.