Lateral Line
Embed This Widget
Add the script tag and a data attribute to embed this widget.
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/fishfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>
<div data-fishfyi="glossary" data-slug="lateral-line"></div>Embed via iframe for maximum compatibility.
<iframe src="https://fishfyi.com/iframe/glossary/lateral-line/" width="420" height="400" frameborder="0" style="border:0;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%" loading="lazy"></iframe>Paste this URL in WordPress, Medium, or any oEmbed-compatible platform.
https://fishfyi.com/glossary/lateral-line/Add a dynamic SVG badge to your README or docs.
[](https://fishfyi.com/glossary/lateral-line/)Use the native HTML custom element.
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/fishfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>
<fishfyi-glossary slug="lateral-line"></fishfyi-glossary>Definition
A sensory organ running along each side of a fish's body that detects vibrations and pressure changes in the surrounding water, allowing the fish to sense movement and navigate.
Detailed Explanation
The lateral line is a mechanosensory system composed of neuromasts — hair-cell receptor organs housed in canals beneath the skin or in surface pores. It detects low-frequency water movement (1–200 Hz), helping fish detect prey, avoid predators, navigate in dark or turbid water, and maintain position in schools. The canal lateral line detects water accelerations while the superficial neuromasts detect water velocity. Sharks and rays possess an analogous system called the ampullae of Lorenzini that additionally detects weak electric fields.