The Common Carp or European Carp is a freshwater fish that lives in the basins of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea. It is also found in Asia, where it lives in the Pacific basin, from Amur river up to Burma in the south. Four subspecies are known to exist in this vast area. Domesticated carp has been introduced to every part of the world. The carp is a valuable game fish. It prefers still quiet waters. In the rivers, it stays mainly in overgrown backwaters, it also lives in lakes and ponds. It likes slightly silted clay bottoms. Common carp don't require particularly well-oxygenated water and are practically omnivorous. Many centuries of selection have resulted in the creation of numerous kinds of carp. Among them they distinguish fully-scaled carp, carp with incomplete scaling (with big scales along the lateral line and irregular patched scales on the rest of the body), and carp without scales. Fish species from carp (or Cyprinid) family are distinguished by a wide thick body, covered with dense big scales. The dorsal fin is long and slightly sinuate. There are spines in the dorsal and the anal fins. Carp's characteristic feature is a couple of barbels on the upper lip. Pharyngeal teeth form three rows. This fish grows rapidly. In a willing environment, it reaches a length of 30 cm and a weight of 500-600 g within two years. The carp's maximum length is 1 m, its maximum weight exceeds 20 kg.