Head to head
Crucian Carp vs Common Carp
Crucian Carp
VS Common Carp
The crucian carp and the common carp are close relatives in the carp family that are often confused, especially when young, but they differ in size, whiskers, and the way they have fared in the world.
| Crucian Carp | Common Carp | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Carassius carassius | Cyprinus carpio |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the carp family that can interbreed with the common carp | A fellow member of the carp family that can interbreed with the crucian carp |
| Barbels | None around the mouth | Has whisker-like barbels around the mouth |
| Size and shape | A deep, rounded, golden-bronze body, usually 15 to 25 cm long, with a convex edge to its dorsal fin | A much larger fish with a long, thick body, and domesticated forms including the scaleless mirror and leather carp |
| Diet | Plankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, snails, plant material, and detritus | Roots through soft bottom sediment for insect larvae, worms, crustaceans, seeds, and plant fragments, sifting mouthfuls of mud and spitting out the grit |
| Tough in poor water | Survives for months in frozen, oxygen-free ponds by turning lactic acid into ethanol | Tolerates warm water, low oxygen, pollution, and wide swings in conditions, and can breathe at the surface when oxygen is scarce |
| Effect on habitat | A pond specialist, with pure populations lost in places through pond loss and hybridisation | Constant bottom-rooting stirs up sediment and uproots plants, turning clear water turbid, which makes it a pest in many places |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, though pure populations have declined in parts of western Europe | Vulnerable in the wild, yet introduced and established across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Australia |
Crucian Carp vs Common Carp: common questions
How can you tell a crucian carp from a common carp?
The crucian carp has no barbels around its mouth and a deeper, rounder body, while the common carp has whisker-like barbels and a longer, thicker body.
Which one survives without oxygen?
The crucian carp, which can survive for months in frozen, oxygen-free ponds by turning lactic acid into ethanol and releasing it across its gills.
Do the two interbreed?
Yes, the crucian carp interbreeds with the common carp, and in many places the pure crucian carp has been diluted or lost as a result.