CONTENT WARNING: The page contains mentions of suicide in the behaviors section.
HABITAT(S): Architectural
Description:
A picture of a White Clucktick. It was photographed inside an area of Level 26.
Cluckticks are solitary, small mechanical entities that live in indoor spaces of The Backrooms. Cluckticks take the appearance of timers resembling chickens, with numbers ranging from 0 to 55 surrounding the bottom of them1.
Behaviors:
Cluckticks are friendly and will always approach humans or human-like entities2 when encountered. When a Clucktick encounters one, it exhibits a curious attitude towards them, often bumping the human's feet while making mechanical chicken sounds.
If a Clucktick is picked up, it will express appreciation by emitting higher-pitched sounds. If a Clucktick is purposefully harmed, it will produce lower-pitched sounds and refuse to assist the human who harmed it. The source of these sounds does not come from their mouth but instead from an undiscovered source. Cluckticks constantly emit a ticking sound, even when unconscious.
After encountering a human, the Clucktick proceeds to follow the human throughout the level. While following, it mysteriously generates a protective barrier around the human. This barrier, visible to the human, takes the shape of a transparent blue egg. The barrier remains in effect until the Clucktick stops following the wanderer, it dies, or if its dial is turned. This barrier prevents other sentient beings from seeing the human under its protection. Cluckticks can only create a barrier for one human. If a Clucktick encounters multiple humans, it appears to randomly choose the human it wants to protect. In the presence of a hostile, non-human entity, Cluckticks apply the barrier to themselves for protection. Cluckticks are highly persistent in their goal to safeguard the human, to the extent that they may not notice their own peril. If the human moves too far away, the Clucktick repositions itself to them by no-clipping3. If the human they're protecting dies, the Clucktick expresses distress through low-pitched clucks. Afterwards, it attempts suicide by repeatedly banging on the nearest wall, which almost always results in it's death.
When two Cluckticks encounter each other, they tend to interact by touching each other's beaks. In the absence of humans, a Clucktick wanders aimlessly, occasionally pausing to eat.
Biology:
Cluckticks are made of a soft plastic covering and are very small, with an average height of around 8.5 cm and width of 6 cm. The only variation among Cluckticks is their color, which can be either white or yellow. A Clucktick is unable to move its head and must turn its entire body to see its surroundings.
Cluckticks can move using a large spring attached to their bottoms, although it is usually obstructed by their body when they are not moving. This spring is powerful enough to make a Clucktick hop from place to place, but they are very slow, with a top speed of only 2 mph. If a Clucktick accidentally falls on its side, it will no-clip approximately 2 cm away to a random spot and will always be repositioned upright afterward.
The inside of a Clucktick resembles that of a timer, but with notable additions that sets them apart from being considered objects: they have cardiovascular and digestive systems. Cluckticks need to consume a diet of tiny bits of plastic and metal to survive. They do this by sitting on the materials and opening a hatch located underneath their spring, which then sucks up the materials. Despite consuming these materials, Cluckticks do not excrete waste. Instead, the materials are fully absorbed into their bodies, allowing them to grow. Any unwanted materials do not get sucked up. Cluckticks also need to sleep in order to survive. However, Cluckticks do not have a central nervous system.
The bottom of a Clucktick can be turned to the right side, which activates a timer. During this period, the Clucktick will be asleep. When this timer finishes, the same hatch used for consuming food will open, and an egg will be released. The size of the egg depends on how much time has passed, with the largest size possible being 4 cm tall and 2.3 cm wide. This egg is made of the same fragile plastic that covers a Clucktick. The egg will hatch after approximately 3-5 days, with larger eggs taking the longest to hatch. Once hatched, a single Clucktick emerges. The size of the new Clucktick depends on the size of the egg. It will spend some time with its parent4 before leaving to fend for itself.
Habitat:
Currently, 83 wild Clucktick sightings have been confirmed. Additionally, there are 9 Clucktick specimens in captivity, contained by the M.E.G. for research purposes. If a new Clucktick hatches from one of these captive specimens, it is to be released into the wild after being researched. This measure is taken to prevent an excessive increase in the number of captive specimens, which could make their maintenance challenging.
Below are the levels where Cluckticks have been found:
Level 1 (3 confirmed sightings)
Level 3 (2 confirmed sightings)
Level 5 (14 confirmed sightings)
Level 9 (1 confirmed sighting that occurred in a house)
Level 13 (32 confirmed sightings)
Level 26 (19 confirmed sightings, including the first-ever recorded)
Level 33 (4 confirmed sightings)
Level 189 (7 confirmed sightings)
Level 321 (1 confirmed sighting)
An experiment conducted by the M.E.G. aimed to observe the behavior of a Clucktick when brought outside. They brought a captive Clucktick to an outdoor section of Level 11. Upon introducing the Clucktick to the outdoor section, it immediately began attempting to return inside but unexpectedly collapsed after three seconds. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the Clucktick had died. An autopsy was performed, revealing that the cause of death was the melting of the Clucktick's internal organs.
The precise cause of death is currently under investigation.
Discovery:
These entities are rare and were reported six times before they were eventually confirmed to exist.
Cluckticks were first officially discovered in 2014 after a wanderer accidentally ended up in Level 26. In an attempt to avoid the entities, he tried to leave but encountered a Clucktick that guided the wanderer to Level 4, the destination he had intended to reach.
While the process of Clucktick reproduction is understood, their origin remains unknown. However, since Cluckticks are most commonly found in Level 13, recent research has focused on that level.
Do's and Don'ts:
Do:
- Let a Clucktick follow.
- While the Clucktick is following, make sure it's safe.
- Wind up a Clucktick in a safe area.
Don't:
- Try and stay away from a Clucktick. Once a Clucktick has noticed a person, it will follow.
- Attempt to harm a Clucktick, unless its protection is unneeded.
- Bring a Clucktick into an area with an open sky.
- Wind up a Clucktick in an unsafe area.