An eagle is an example of a heterotroph. All animals are heterotrophs. Click on image for full size (122K jpeg) Image courtesy of Corel Photography

Heterotrophs are known as consumers in the food chain. They can feed on autotrophs, heterotrophs, or sometimes their own waste products. More simply, a heterotroph might eat plants or another animal to get necessary carbon to sustain its own life.

The term heterotroph can refer to single-celled organisms as well as multi-celled organisms. Most bacteria and all animal and fungal species are heterotrophic.