Also a small,
green-furred flying
mammal of the
forests of
Proxima Centauri II. It derives its name from its loud territorial cry of "KLOO! KLOO!".
Cluebats are
intelligent, easily domesticated, do not harbor any
diseases communicable to
humans, and can be trained to perform simple tasks. They are often used as pets by the human
colonists of Proxima II.
A number of stories have arisen around the cluebat, the most famous of which dates back to the initial exploration of that planet. Local legend has it that one of the earliest settlers was wrestling with a difficult problem and went for a walk in the woods. After pausing for a drink of water, the settler was badly startled when a cluebat landed on her shoulder. The cluebat exclaimed its territory-marking cry -- "KLOO! KLOO!" -- and then took off again. In the fashion of hacker koans, the settler was thus (inexplicably) enlightened. As this story circulated throughout Proximan society, the phrase "the cluebat landed on his/her shoulder!" entered popular slang as a phrase used to indicate a sudden realization.
For more information on this and other aspects of the Proxima universe, see the Proxima Shared Universe metanode.