Mammal Tattoos

Although it might seem that a division of animal tattoo designs might fall naturally into animals of the earth, the sky, and the ocean, the animals of the earth are exceedingly varied. In terms of their symbolic significance, however, mammals and reptiles tend toward different broad themes.

The world of mammals is one which seems to appeal the most naturally to us, probably for obvious reasons. The animal tattoo world is replete with mammals that range from the cuddly to the predatory and from the bizarre to the familiar. Be they pandas or panthers, ant eaters or chimpanzees, animal tattoos of mammals have an interesting range of specific symbolic meanings that often are exploited to great visual effect.

The crawling panther, for example, does not typically sit idly under a giant spreading tree on the African savannah. The environment would be wrong but also the demeanor of the animal. Unlike a lion (with its associations of regal power) or the cheetah (with its associations of sleek speed), the panther conveys ferocity and menace.

Of all the animal tattoos, the mammals also lend themselves most easily to our identification with their various traits. Are you as quiet as a mouse? Or maybe you have the memory of an elephant? Are you as sly as a fox or are you a lone wolf? The list of animal traits that have correlates in the human behavior world is endless. At the same time, some mammal tattoos are simply chosen because of the beauty of the animal or because they are a favorite in animal kingdom. In fact, the more that you delve into the multitude of reasons that might occasion an animal tattoo, the easier it is to see why this category of tattoos is the single largest.

The bear claw footprint is a symbol of power, both literal and spiritual in the cosmology of some indigenous peoples in North America. Sometimes associated with particular clans or organizations, the bear and its footprint symbol is more generally associated with the power of the animal itself and also the summoning of spiritual power from supernatural realms.	In a symbolic tradition that easily stretches back to the vibrant horse paintings in the cave art of the Ice Age, wild horses were the embodiment of power. Not until thousands of years had passed would the horse be tamed for human use. In the Chinese Zodiac, people born in the Year of the Horse are considered cheerful and perceptive, although they may talk too much. As a mighty steed, numerous characters have mounted them including the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (death, war, pestilence, and famine) from the book of Revelations, the goddess Kannon of Japan, St. George as he slays the dragon, and the Valkyrie of Norse legend on winged versions, to name but a few. They express an instinctual and unbridled energy and dynamism and yet are also intelligent and even noble.	The beautiful and the dangerous may find no more perfect union than in the tiger. It is the ideal animal symbol of strength, ferocity, and jungle wildness. Its preeminence among the big cats and all feline hunters makes it a symbol of warriors and elites. In the Far East it is considered the king of all animals. Its distinctly striped coloration, alternating black and orange, with white in the face and underbelly, makes it a fascinating subject for tattoo design, one that is often done in full color. In Chinese mythology, it is sometimes considered the opposite of the dragon.