The invasion of Asian carp into the waters of the South and the Midwest differs from other ongoing environmental problems in that it slaps you in the head. Originally from China and eastern Siberia, a peculiarity of silver carp is that when they are alarmed by potential predators they leap from the water. Right now there are actually two kinds of Asian carp to worry about: silver carp and their non-jumping companions, bighead carp. In the U.S., the Asian carp started their journey from a place of formerly ominous reputation: Down the River.