A heterotroph is any living organism that obtains its energy from carbohydrates and other organic material. In simpler terms, heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food, therefore they eat other organisms that CAN produce their own food.

All animals and most bacteria and fungi are heterotrophic. In contrast, autotrophs are organisms that use inorganic substances as energy sources and carbon dioxide as a carbon source. So when I think about your question, I guess I would have to say that it depends on what heterotroph you are wondering about.

Humans live by eating various plants and animals in their environment, while parasites like the trypanosomes that can cause illnesses like African sleeping sickness live and feed in the bloodstream of humans and some other animals.

Heterotrophs live by consuming food from an outside source. Mammals are heterotrophs as are all other animals, fungi, and some kinds of bacteria. When we eat food, it is broken down to produce chemical energy and our body uses to live. Autotrophs, on the other hand, make their own food through photosynthesis. Examples of autotrophs are plants, algae, and some bacteria.

A Heterotroph is a living organism that obtains its energy from carbohydrates and other organic material. All animals and most bacteria and fungi are heterotrophic. i.e. people and animals eat complex carbohydrates and sugars which they metabolize to produce energy. Fungi produce enzymes which break down sugars i.e. glucose and other organic compounds and then absorb them through the cell membrane and cell wall. They are major decomposers of organic compounds! In contrast, autotrophs are organisms that use inorganic substances as energy sources and carbon dioxide as a carbon source.

You are a heterotroph. Heterotrophs live by getting their energy by consuming organic matter of other organisms, either living or deceased. You, for instance, eat vegetables, fruits, grain, maybe meat (if you're not a vegetarian), etc. that was once part of another living thing.