Summary ²

Family: Cyprinidae

Common carp(Cyprinus carpio) are originally from Europe and Asia but were introduced into the Great Lakes in the late 1800s to promote a recreational fishery. They never became very popular. Common carp are tolerant of a variety of environmental conditions, hence they can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including highly polluted ones. They forage along the bottom, eating small aquatic insects. In the process, they tend to uproot plants and increase the amount of mud in the water.

How to recognize: Large obvious scales (although some individuals lose some or all of their scales). Long fin along the back that is supported by soft rays, except for a strong spine at the front with serrations on the rear edge. Fin near the anus also supported by soft rays except at the front edge where there is a spine with serrations on the rear edge. Mouth is horizontal with two small barbels (whiskers) on each side. Up to 4 feet /1.2 meters long.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) alavire, all rights reserved
2. (c) alavire, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Fish Database of Taiwan
• FishBase
• FishSource
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
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• VertNet
• World Register of Marine Species
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム

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