A number of proteins are involved in the series of events that lead to vertebrate blood clotting.
Michael Behe describes it thus:
When an animal is cut, a protein called Hagemann factor (XII) sticks to the surface of cells near the wound. Bound Hagemann factor is then cleaved by a protein called HMK to yield activated Hagemann factor. Immediately the activated Hagemann factor converts another protein, called prekallikrein, to its active form, kallikrein.[1]
Behe, who is a supporter of intelligent design, argues that all of these components must be in place before the system will work:
...none of the cascade proteins are used for anything except controlling the formation of a clot. Yet in the absence of any of the components, blood does not clot, and the system fails.[2]
Although, as Behe points out, Factor XII initiates the "cascade of proteins" in vertebrates, dolphins lack Factor XII [3] and yet their blood is known to clot. Similarly, molluscs such as snails have only four components in their blood clotting cascade, with a single protease step. This appears to contradict the notion of irreducible complexity in regard to this process.