Carp Talk

People have created many breeds of carp. A breed is a group of animals that have the same type of ancestors. Breeds may look different from each other, but they are all in the same species. There are more than 125 breeds of goldfish, with such names as comets, shubunkins, and telescopes.

Many breeds of goldfish were developed in China or Japan hundreds of years ago. These breeds were created using a wild species called the Crucian carp.

How do people make new breeds of fish? They first mate unrelated male and female fish that have a little of the desired trait (feature or characteristic), such as fish with speckled colors. If the offspring of these fish have a little more speckling, breeders then mate those fish. Breeders continue this practice, and after several generations (young born to one set of parents at one time), the result may be an all-speckled breed of fish.

There are hundreds of kinds of carp. Some have funny names, such as bonytail, chiselmouth, fathead, hardhead, hornyhead, and stoneroller.

Have you ever gone fishing and used small fish as bait to catch larger fish? The small fish were probably minnows, which belong to the carp and minnow family.

Other kinds of fish in the carp and minnow family include barbs, chubs, dace, danios, and shiners.

With as many as 2,000 species (kinds), carp come in a variety of sizes.

If kept in a large aquarium, some goldfish grow to about 12 inches (30 centimeters) in length. In the wild, some goldfish grow to almost 2 feet (61 centimeters) in length.

Most other kinds of carp are between 12 inches (30 centimeters) and 30 inches (76 centimeters) long and weigh between 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) and 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms). There are much larger carp, however. The largest species of carp in North America is the Colorado pikeminnow. It can grow to lengths of 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters).

In 2006, scientists announced that they had discovered the world’s smallest fish—a species of carp with a see-through body only about 1⁄3 inch (8 millimeters) long.

Scientists can tell how old a fish is by counting the growth lines on its scales. These lines are somewhat like the rings on a tree stump—for each year of life, a new line forms.

Goldfish in home aquariums usually live about 5 years, though some have lived for more than 20 years. The oldest known goldfish lived more than 40 years. The better care you give your goldfish, the better are its chances for a long life.

Most wild carp are thought to live between 15 and 18 years. However, this depends on the species. Larger species usually live longer than smaller species.

When hardy species, such as carp, come from other places, they sometimes cause problems for the native animals and plants—that is, the animals and plants that originated there. The native animals and plants are not used to the new species, and they may not have ways to defend against it.

Carp harm many native species of fish by crowding them out of their habitats. Carp also eat the food and eggs of native fish.

Many fishermen in the United States think that carp are a big problem because they pull up the roots of water plants. This stirs up dirt and muddies the water—creating conditions in which other kinds of fish find it difficult to survive.

Because carp are tough and do well in difficult conditions that would kill other fish, people have made up many stories, legends, and myths about carp. In Asia, carp are used as symbols for certain character traits or abilities that people admire.

In China, carp have long been a symbol of fertility (the ability to produce many young). The Chinese also tell stories of how carp have turned into dragons. In Japan, carp are a symbol of courage and strength. In Korea, carp are a symbol of youth, bravery, strength, and wealth.

The common carp is Cyprinus carpio. Carps belong to the family Cyprinidae.