The horseshoe crab's unique blood has powerful properties valued by the biomedical industry.

Could a spray made from the clotting agent in a snake's venom be used to prevent people from bleeding to death after an accident?

To fight off infection, the horseshoe crab has a compound in its blood -- LAL, or Limulus Amebocyte Lysate -- which immediately binds and clots around fungi, viruses, and bacterial endotoxins.