Details
Cyprinus carpio
The common carp is a hardy freshwater fish native to the Palearctic and now familiar far beyond it. It forages across day and night, often in loose aggregations.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in lakes, ponds, slow rivers, and canals. Muddy bottoms, aquatic plants, and still or slow water provide especially suitable conditions.
Length is about 40-120 cm and weight about 1-40 kg. It has a deep body, large scales, and barbels at the mouth, with coloration from brownish to golden.
Carp cruise near the bottom and may cloud the water while feeding. They do not need tight schools, but gather loosely where food or shelter is favorable.
It is omnivorous, eating aquatic plants, algae, insect larvae, mollusks, and small crustaceans. The protrusible mouth sucks up sediment and sorts edible material.
Spawning takes place in warm seasons in shallow vegetated water. Sticky eggs attach to plants, and the young grow near sheltered margins.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. Its adaptability has made it widespread, though introduced populations can disturb sediments and aquatic vegetation.
