Can secondary consumers become primary consumers?

Primary consumers are organisms that feed directly on producers, which are typically plants. Secondary consumers are organisms that feed on primary consumers. The distinction between primary and secondary consumers is based on the trophic level an organism occupies in a food chain or web. Primary consumers are at the second trophic level, while secondary consumers are at the third trophic level.

Once an organism has moved up the food chain and become a secondary consumer, it cannot go back to being a primary consumer. This is because the digestive system and nutritional requirements of secondary consumers are adapted to consuming animal matter, not plant matter.