Looking at a llama, you probably dont immediately think this animal could hold the key to treating the worst pandemic of a hundred years.

But youd be wrong.

It turns out the long-necked fuzzy beasts are remarkable for more than just looking cute, spitting on people, and going on grand Bonnie and Clyde-esque runs from the law .

A new study out of Belgium, published this week in the science journal Cell, found that llamas might actually hold key antibodies that could help treat COVID-19 .

Researchers from Belgiums VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin found that a group of llamas on a research farm produces a special type of antibody that could be used to neutralize the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The research actually started back in 2016, when they were studying the effects of the llama antibodies in treating SARS and MERS also diseases caused by coronaviruses. They were in the midst of wrapping up the study when the COVID-19 outbreak began in late 2019.

The work was a side project in 2016. We thought maybe this was interesting, Xavier Saelens, who co-authored the study told Reuters . Then the new virus came and it became potentially more crucial, more important.

The research centred on a four-year-old llama named Winter, who besides being adorable, could also be a medical hero.