Abstract
The lateral line of fishes and aquatic amphibians demonstrates robust regenerative capacity. Following selective ablation of sensory hair cells, subsets of surrounding supporting cells proliferate to repopulate the neuromast. This regenerative response restores lateral line mediated behaviors, although the time course of morphological regeneration does not always parallel functional recovery. Aquatic pollutants can negatively impact regeneration, suggesting that fishes in polluted environments may have compromised sensory input. This chapter examines ethological and biomedical studies of lateral line regeneration and highlights unanswered questions in both realms.