Common Barbel

Common Barbel (Barbus Barbus) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the Carp family. Native to northern and eastern Europe, these fish have been also introduced in countries like Scotland, Morocco, and Italy. These fish prefer to inhabit deeper areas of clean, fast-flowing rivers with gravel or stone bottoms. The Common Barbel gets its name from the four whiskers located at the corners of its mouth, which it uses for finding food. It has a cylindrical body, typically silver or grey in colour with a pale belly and distinctively pinkish fins. Common Barbel can grow up to about 85 cm in length, with a typical weight ranging from 2 to 5.5 kg. It is also possible to land a unique specimen of up to 8.5 kg in mass. Their diet predominantly consists of bottom dwelling creatures like crustaceans, insect larvae and mollusks.