Lateral line

The lateral line is a sensory system in fish and some aquatic amphibians that detects water movement and pressure changes through receptors distributed along the body.

Neuromast: A lateral-line sensory organ containing hair cells that respond to water movement. Neuromasts are the individual receptors that make up the lateral line.
Rheotaxis: Directional movement of an organism in response to a water current. Lateral-line cues help fish orient and hold position in flowing water.
Inner ear: A sensory organ system for hearing, balance, and motion detection in vertebrates. The inner ear shares hair-cell mechanisms with the lateral line.
Hearing: The perception of sound through sensory systems that detect pressure waves or vibrations. Hearing chiefly detects sound, while the lateral line senses nearby water motion and pressure gradients.
Hair cell: A sensory cell that converts mechanical deflection of its hair bundle into electrical signals. Water-driven deflection of hair bundles initiates lateral-line signaling.
Schooling: Coordinated swimming by groups of fish that remain together as a moving unit. Lateral-line sensing can help fish track nearby neighbors during schooling.
Hair bundle: A cluster of actin-rich projections on a hair cell that bends in response to mechanical force. Bending the bundle opens mechanically gated channels in lateral-line hair cells.
Electroreception: The detection of electric fields by specialized sensory receptors. Electroreception detects electric fields; the lateral line detects mechanical water disturbances.
Cupula: A gelatinous structure that couples water movement to the hair bundles of lateral-line neuromasts. The cupula transfers local water motion to the receptor cells.
Predator avoidance: Behavior that reduces the chance of being captured or injured by a predator. Water disturbances can warn fish of an approaching predator, even in darkness.

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