A common carp in a freshwater enclosure.

Common carp in the ZooParc de Beauval, France.

Creator: William Crochot (Medium69)

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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Species record

Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

Explore the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Common Carp is a freshwater fish native to parts of Europe and Asia and widely moved for food, ornamental ponds, angling, and aquaculture. Farmed carp and koi are managed forms, while introduced populations can spread beyond their native range, stir up bottom sediments, and change aquatic habitats.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Actinopterygii
  5. Order: Carps and minnows
  6. Family: Cyprinidae
  7. Genus: Cyprinus
  8. Species: Cyprinus carpio

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
ponds, lakes, fish farms
Selected regions
Asia, Europe, North America
Selected countries
China, Hungary, Poland, Japan

Conservation status

The Ark records: Least Concern.

Did you know?

  • Common carp have four barbels around their mouth, with two at each corner.
  • Koi are brightly coloured, domesticated carp kept as ornamental fish.

More images

Close-up of a common carp in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

Common carp in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

Creator: George Chernilevsky

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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Sources and attribution