Head to head
Carp vs Catfish
Carp and catfish share the muddy river bottom, a set of barbels around the mouth, and a reputation as tough, adaptable fish. They are in different orders, though, and the scales, the skin, and the barbels themselves tell them apart at a glance.
| Carp | Catfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Cypriniformes (carps and minnows) | Siluriformes (catfishes) |
| Scales | Large scales over the whole body | None; bare skin or bony plates |
| Barbels | Two short pairs at the mouth corners | Long whisker-like barbels, up to four pairs |
| Jaw teeth | None; grinds with throat teeth | Usually present, fine to gripping |
| Fin spines | A serrated spine in the dorsal and anal fin | Stiff, sharp, sometimes venomous spines |
| Typical diet | Plants, invertebrates, detritus from the bottom | Omnivore to strong predator, by species |
| Domestication | Farmed 2,000+ years; koi are carp | Several species farmed (channel, pangasius) |
| Largest members | Common carp to ~1.2 m and 30+ kg | Wels and Mekong giant catfish to ~3 m |
Carp vs Catfish: common questions
How do I tell a carp from a catfish?
The skin settles it fastest. A carp is covered in large, obvious scales, while a catfish has smooth bare skin or rows of bony plates and no ordinary scales at all. The barbels are the next clue: a carp has just two short pairs of fleshy barbels tucked at the corners of its mouth, whereas a catfish has prominent, often long whisker-like barbels, sometimes several pairs, sweeping out from the head. A carp's mouth is small, downturned, and toothless, made for sucking up sediment, while many catfish have a wide mouth with visible teeth. Catfish also often have a small fleshy adipose fin on the back near the tail, which carp lack.
Are carp and catfish related?
They are in the same broad superorder of freshwater fishes, the Ostariophysi, which share a chain of small bones linking the swim bladder to the inner ear for improved hearing, but they are in different orders that diverged long ago. Carp are in the Cypriniformes, with the minnows, barbs, and loaches. Catfish are in the Siluriformes, their own large order. Both orders are dominated by freshwater fish, both have members with barbels, and both include heavily farmed food species, but the resemblance in lifestyle, bottom-dwelling omnivores with sensory barbels, is partly convergence on a common way of making a living in rivers and lakes rather than close kinship.
Which is better to eat, carp or catfish?
It depends heavily on the species and the water. Farmed catfish, such as the American channel catfish and the Southeast Asian pangasius or basa, has firm, mild, low-fat white flesh and is one of the most popular food fish in several countries. Wild river catfish can taste muddy if taken from warm, still, silty water, as can carp. Carp is a staple across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, traditional at Christmas in several central European countries, with firm flesh and a flavour that reflects its habitat, but it is bony, with a row of fine intramuscular Y-bones that put many people off. In general, farmed catfish is the easier fish to cook and eat, while carp rewards knowing how to handle the bones.