(Common) Barbel Barbus barbus

The Barbel, called the Common Barbel when needed to distinguish from other species of Barbel, is native to fast-flowing rivers of northern and eastern Europe.

It is named after the four barbels around its mouth which help it to sense prey when it is feeding on the river floor. The name of the fish and its whiskers are derived from the Latin for beard - barbus, which is its scientific name.

The young Barbel is mottled, the adults can be grey, greenish-bronze or dark brown, all with pink lower fins. The tail fin is pointed at the top and rounded on the lower, pink part. The Barbel can grow to 1.2 metres (4 feet), but is usually under 1 metre.