Which animal can regenerate its spinal cord?

The animal that can regenerate its spinal cord is the lamprey. The lamprey is a primitive, jawless fish that can repair and regenerate its spinal cord after it has been injured. In contrast, mammals, including humans, cannot regenerate their spinal cords once they have been damaged.

Lampreys have a remarkable ability to recover from spinal cord injury. When their spinal cord is severed, the lamprey's cells divide and create new cells that reconnect the spinal cord. The lamprey can also repair damaged axons, the long fibers that transmit nerve impulses between cells.

This regenerative ability has attracted the interest of scientists who hope to learn how the lamprey does it, with the ultimate goal of developing new treatments for people with spinal cord injuries. Understanding how the lamprey regenerates its spinal cord could lead to new therapies that could help humans recover from paralysis.