Common Carp: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Rivers and Coasts · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. The largest recorded carp, caught in 2013 in France, weighed 45.59 kg.
2. In one spawning, a typical adult female can release 300,000 eggs, and one carp can produce more than a million eggs a year.
3. Carp pick up sediment by suction, then mouth it to pick out food by taste and size.
4. Carp have no teeth in their mouths and no stomach. Ten teeth in the throat crush or grind the food.
5. The longest-lived carp documented lived 64 years. It was wild-origin, in a non-native habitat in North America.

The quiz

1. How heavy was the largest recorded carp?

• 4.5 kg
• 145 kg
• 45.59 kg (correct)
• 450 kg

The largest recorded carp, caught in 2013 in France, weighed 45.59 kg.

2. How many eggs can a typical female carp lay in one spawn?

• 300,000 (correct)
• 3,000
• 30
• 3 million

A typical female can release 300,000 eggs in one spawning, and more than a million in a year.

3. How do carp sort their food?

• By colour
• By sound
• By temperature
• By taste and size (correct)

Carp pick up sediment by suction, then mouth it to pick out food by taste and size.

4. How many teeth in the throat do carp use to crush food?

• 32
• 10 (correct)
• 4
• 100

Carp have no teeth in their mouths and no stomach. Ten teeth in the throat crush or grind the food.

5. How old was the longest-lived documented carp?

• 14 years
• 24 years
• 64 years (correct)
• 104 years

The longest-lived carp documented lived 64 years. It was wild-origin, in a non-native habitat in North America.

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