Common carp
Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758
The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a bony fish in the family Cyprinidae, subfamily Cyprininae, within the order Cypriniformes. It has a representative body length of 53 cm, and our sources report body lengths from 26 to 80 cm.
Quick facts about the common carp
Its main foods are insect, mollusca, palinuridae, worm and zooplankton. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 26 cm – 80 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- insect, mollusca, palinuridae, worm, zooplanktonsrc for Main food
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common carp?
Photos of the common carp
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common carp live?
Not recorded
What is the common carp?
The common carp (Cyprinus carpio), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The native wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but the species has also been domesticated and introduced (see aquaculture) into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive species, being included in the list of the world's 100 worst invasive species. It gives its name to the carp family, Cyprinidae.
From the Wikipedia article “Common carp” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_carp&oldid=1381951282), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the common carp endangered?
The common carp is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common carp classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae
- genusCyprinus
- SpeciesCyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Carpio carpio, Carpio carpio gibbosus, Carpio vulgaris, Cyprinus acuminatus, Cyprinus alepidotus, Cyprinus angulatus, Cyprinus atrovirens, Cyprinus bithynicus, Cyprinus carpio anatolicus, Cyprinus carpio aralensis, Cyprinus carpio brevicirri, Cyprinus carpio carpio, Cyprinus carpio caspicus, Cyprinus carpio communis, Cyprinus carpio communis, Cyprinus carpio elongatus, Cyprinus carpio fluviatilis, Cyprinus carpio haematopterus, Cyprinus carpio lacustris, Cyprinus carpio longicirri, Cyprinus carpio monstrosus, Cyprinus carpio oblongus, Cyprinus carpio specularis, Cyprinus carpio var. caspicus, Cyprinus carpio var. elongatus, Cyprinus carpio var. gibbosus, Cyprinus carpio var. haematopterus, Cyprinus carpio var. lacustris, Cyprinus carpio var. oblongus, Cyprinus chinensis, Cyprinus cirrosus, Cyprinus conirostris, Cyprinus coriaceus, Cyprinus elatus, Cyprinus festetitsii, Cyprinus hungaricus, Cyprinus macrolepidotus, Cyprinus macrolepidotus, Cyprinus macrolepidotus, Cyprinus mahuensis, Cyprinus melanotus, Cyprinus nordmannii, Cyprinus nudus, Cyprinus regina, Cyprinus regius, Cyprinus rex, Cyprinus rexcyprinorum, Cyprinus rondeletii, Cyprinus specularis, Cyprinus specularis, Cyprinus thermalis, Cyprinus tossicole, Cyprinus viridescens, Cyprinus vittatus
Other names and names in other languages (128)
- BuglemouthEnglish
- Calico carpEnglish
- CarpEnglish
- Deniz carpEnglish
- Edible carpEnglish
- Eurasian carpEnglish
- European carpEnglish
- German carpEnglish
- Great carpEnglish
- Leather carpEnglish
- Mirror carpEnglish
- Mud suckerEnglish
- Nishiki-koiEnglish
- Wild common carpEnglish
- Wild common carpEnglish
- Yellow carpEnglish
- شبوط شائعArabic
- الكارب العاديArabic
- شبوط أوروبيArabic
- Avropa sazanAzerbaijani
- звычайны карпBelarusian
- шаранBulgarian
- Див шаранBulgarian
- Obični šaranBosnian
- Kapr obecnýCzech
- kapr obecný dunajskýCzech
- cerpynWelsh
- karpeDanish
- Almindelig karpeDanish
- KarpenDanish
- KarpfenGerman
- Donau-Schwarzmeer KarpfenGerman
- Europäischer KarpfenGerman
- Eutopäischer KarpfenGerman
- Gemeine KarpfenGerman
- SchuppenkarpfenGerman
- SpiegelkarpfenGerman
- WildkarpfenGerman
- ΓριβάδιGreek
- ΚυπρίνοςGreek
- carpaSpanish
- carpa comúnSpanish
- Carpa común europeaSpanish
- Carpa espejoSpanish
- KarpkalaEstonian
- کپور معمولیPersian
- Euraasian karppiFinnish
- karppiFinnish
- carpeFrench
- carpe communeFrench
- Carpe cuirFrench
- Carpe miroirFrench
- קרפיון מצויHebrew
- ŠaranCroatian
- pontyHungarian
- Európai pontyHungarian
- ԾածանArmenian
- Ikan karperIndonesian
- Ikan MasIndonesian
- carpaItalian
- Carpa comuneItalian
- コイJapanese
- アナトリア鯉Japanese
- ヨーロッパゴイJapanese
- 欧州ゴイJapanese
- 鯉Japanese
- კობრიGeorgian
- 잉어Korean
- 가죽잉어Korean
- 데니즈잉어Korean
- 아나톨리아잉어Korean
- 유럽잉어Korean
- 이스라엘잉어Korean
- 향어Korean
- karpisLithuanian
- Paprastasis karpisLithuanian
- SazānsLatvian
- Eiropas karpaLatvian
- Ikan rayoMinangkabau
- Обичен крапMacedonian
- karpeNorwegian Bokmål
- koikarpeNorwegian Bokmål
- lærkarpeNorwegian Bokmål
- skjellkarpeNorwegian Bokmål
- karperDutch
- Karper: onbepaaldDutch
- karpeNorwegian Nynorsk
- speilkarpeNorwegian Nynorsk
- Vanlig karpeNorwegian
- karpPolish
- SarmãoPortuguese
- Carpa-comumPortuguese
- Carpa-europeiaPortuguese
- crapRomanian
- Crapul comunRomanian
- КарпRussian
- коробRussian
- сазанRussian
- Зеркальный карпRussian
- Карп обыкновенныйRussian
- или обыкновенный карпRussian
- Európsky kaporSlovak
- kapor obyčajnýSlovak
- krapSlovenian
- Navadni krapSlovenian
- krapiAlbanian
- krapuliqAlbanian
- lakeçAlbanian
- pendëkuqiAlbanian
- Европейски шаранSerbian
- karpSwedish
- spegelkarpSwedish
- கண்ணாடிக் கெண்டைTamil
- ปลาไนThai
- ปลาไนธรรมดาThai
- ปลาไนเดนิซThai
- sazanTurkish
- Aynalı SazanTurkish
- Sazan balığıTurkish
- Звичайний сазанUkrainian
- Ко́роп звича́йнийUkrainian
- Короп дзеркальнийUkrainian
- Короп звичайнийUkrainian
- Короп європейськийUkrainian
- 西鯉Chinese
- 歐亞鯉Chinese
- 歐洲鯉Chinese
- 鲤鱼Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common carp
Other species in the same genus Cyprinus.
Amur carp
Cyprinus rubrofuscus
Yilong carp
Cyprinus yilongensis
Barbless carp
Cyprinus pellegrini
Qilu carp
Cyprinus chilia
Dianchi carp
Cyprinus micristius
Yunnan carp
Cyprinus yunnanensis
CompareCommon carp vs Amur carpCommon carp vs Yilong carpCommon carp vs Barbless carpCommon carp vs Qilu carp
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common carp?
The common carp is a bony fish in the family Cyprinidae and the order Cypriniformes.
How big is the common carp?
The common carp has a representative body length of 53 cm. Our sources report body lengths from 26 to 80 cm.
What does the common carp eat?
Its main foods are insect, mollusca, palinuridae, worm and zooplankton.
Is the common carp endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
What is the scientific name of the common carp?
The scientific name of the common carp is Cyprinus carpio, in the genus Cyprinus.
Who named the common carp?
The common carp was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
What are other names for the common carp?
Other English names for the common carp are Carp, Mud sucker, Deniz carp, Great carp and Buglemouth.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-carp
“Common carp (Cyprinus carpio).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-carp.
@misc{common_carp_2026,
title = {Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-carp},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}