What is the difference between grass carp and grass carp? Understand the main differences in one article

Grass carp and carp are both very common fish, and they can be seen in ponds, lakes, and rivers. So do you know what the differences between grass carp and carp are?

1. Differences in morphology

1. Grass carp: The body of the grass carp is slightly cylindrical, the head is somewhat flat and broad, and the tail is laterally compressed. The mouth is arched, with no barbels, and the upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw. The body is light tea-yellow, the back is grayish blue, the belly is grayish white, the pectoral and pelvic fins are slightly grayish yellow, and the other fins are light gray. Its body is relatively long, and the belly has no ridge. The head is flat and broad, and the tail is laterally compressed. The lower pharyngeal teeth are in two rows, laterally compressed, comb-shaped, and the sides of the teeth have transverse groove lines. The dorsal fin and anal fin both have no hard spines, and the dorsal fin and pelvic fin are opposite each other. The snout is very short, with a length less than or equal to the eye diameter. The length behind the orbit exceeds half the head length.

2. Grass carp: The body of the grass carp is laterally compressed and the belly is round, the mouth is horseshoe-shaped, and there are 2 pairs of barbels. The scales have a cross-shaped texture, and the scales do not turn white after death. There is a row of flank scales from head to tail; regardless of the size of the fish, there are thirty-six scales, and each scale has a small black dot. The base of the dorsal fin is relatively long, and both the dorsal fin and anal fin have a thick, serrated hard spine. The sides of the body are golden yellow, and the lower lobe of the caudal fin is orange-red.

2. Differences in temperament

1. Grass carp: The grass carp has a lively temperament, swims quickly, often forages in groups, and is gluttonous. It is a typical herbivorous fish. At the fry stage, it feeds on zooplankton; at the juvenile stage, it also eats insects, earthworms, algae, duckweed, and so on. When its body length reaches more than about 10 cm, it feeds entirely on higher aquatic plants, especially grasses, and the types of plants it eats vary with the state of the food base in its living environment.

2. Grass carp: The grass carp is a benthic omnivorous fish that eats both meat and plants. Its diet is broad, its snout bone is well developed, and it often roots in mud to feed. Deep in the oral cavity there are pharyngeal teeth, used to grind food. It is omnivorous, and when digging for food it often stirs up the water, increasing turbidity and having adverse effects on many animals and plants. In winter it enters a dormant state, sinking to the river bottom and eating nothing.

There are certain differences between grass carp and grass carp, so when purchasing, you must carefully identify them to avoid buying the wrong one.