Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as organic fecal matter). By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles.
They should be distinguished from other decomposers, such as many species of bacteria, fungi and protists, which are unable to ingest discrete lumps of matter, but instead live by and metabolizing on a molecular scale. However, the terms detritivore and decomposer are often used interchangeably.