11 Facts About Bighead carp

Bighead carp is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish native to East Asia, and is one of several Asian carps introduced into North America.

Unlike the omnivorous common carp, bighead carp are primarily filter-feeders, preferentially consuming zooplankton but phytoplankton and detritus.

Bighead carp has a large, scaleless head, a large mouth, and eyes located very low on the head.

Bighead carp are native to the large rivers and associated floodplain lakes of eastern Asia.

Today, the bighead carp can be found in the wild in Europe, South America, and North America.

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Bighead carp are not always considered undesirable, invasive species where they are introduced outside their native range, and they continue to be stocked in some water bodies to support commercial fisheries.

Bighead carp are considered a highly destructive invasive species in the United States.

The flesh of the bighead carp is white and firm, and not similar to that of the common carp, which is darker and richer.

However, bighead carp captured from the wild in the United States tend to be much larger than common carp, so the intramuscular bones are larger and less problematic.

The head of the bighead carp is particularly prized in Singapore, and is usually steamed whole.

When bowfishing, Bighead carp cannot be shot in the air like silver carp, because they do not jump out of the water when startled by moving boats like the silver carp do.