The carp is a toothless bottom feeder that uses four sensitive barbels around the mouth as sensory detectors.  It is a very popular anglers fish and is widely kept in fish farms and ornamental lakes.

Habitat In its natural habitat, the carp prefers slow moving rivers and large lakes where it can browse on the bottom for food.  Calm stretches of freshwater with abundant vegetation also provide the conditions it needs for breeding.  As it does not need well oxygenated water, it can thrive in small, still ponds.  In western Europe, carp were for centuries commonly bred in ponds for food, especially by monks. Some of these ponds still exist and retain breeding populations of carp.

Behaviour As adults, carp are solitary and have few natural predators. They are an extremely shy and wary fish. When close to the surface, they respond instantly to disturbances at the bankside, especially in waters frequently fished by anglers. They respond to darkness and rest near the bottom of the lake or river at night.  Young fish are usually seen in shoals and devote much of their time to bottom feeding. The carp does not migrate or roam widely, they tend to remain close to where they were spawned throughout their lives.

Feeding
The carps mouth is toothless but it has two bony plates in its throat called pharyngeal bones, which act like teeth to grind up food as it passes down the throat.   It uses its mouth and barbels to stir up mud from the bottom to locate food such as crustaceans and other invertebrates.  It has a highly inquisitive nature and will investigate almost any new edible material it finds.  The carp has no stomach so the food is mashed up and passes along its intestine and nutrients are extracted along the way.

Breeding Carp breeding season is triggered by temperature.  Breeding is usually in the late spring, but may be earlier in warmer countries.  The female seeks out an area of dense vegetation to lay her unfertilized eggs.  The waiting male releases his milt (sperm) onto the eggs to fertilize them as they are laid, and they stick to leaves as they fall.  The eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days, depending on the water temperature, and once they emerge, the fry attach themselves to the nearby vegetation for security.   They feed on passing microscopic animals until they are about 2cm long and become free swimming miniatures of their parents.  Despite the precautions, most of the fry fall prey to aquatic predators and do not survive this stage of their lifecycle.

The number of eggs depends                        on the fish's weight

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