Carp

Introduction: It is believed from early historical manuscripts that carp (Cyprinus carpio) were introduced to southern Africa in the 1700's and found their way to Namibia considerably later. They can be found in a wide variety of conditions, a testament to their hardy and tolerant nature. They prefer large water bodies with slow-flowing or standing water with soft bottom sediments, thriving in farm dams and large muddy waters.

Distribution: Widespread throughout central and southern Namibia, but absent from mountain areas and found mostly in the warmer low veld areas.

Diet: Carp are omnivorous and will feed on a wide range of plant and animal matter by scavenging and grubbing around in sediments.

Colouring: Variable from olive brown to rich brazen gold, fins are dark grey.

Breeding: Carp breed in spring and summer, laying sticky eggs in shallow vegetation. It is widely believed that larger females can lay in excess of 1,000,000 eggs.

Size: An extremely large freshwater fish they can grow to around 24kg in southern Africa.