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REPTILES Tat Attack! Entries
Check out some of the entries for the REPTILES magazine Tat Attack! contest.
These tattoo entries are listed in no particular order.
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Ana Susic - Metairie, La.
Ana’s two-headed snake design is from a statue at Universal Studios in Florida. Its pattern and color are derived from her Brazilian rainbow boa, Sethe. |
Robert Eastman - Merrimac, Mass.
“Hi, love your magazine. I am emailing pictures of my Cuban crocodile that I have tattooed on my upper left chest. I got this tattoo because I am fascinated with all species of crocodiles and alligators.” |
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Brandon Macy - Indianapolis, Ind.
“I am a huge fan of old-school and Americana tattoo work, and a reptile enthusiast. My side panel (left ribs) consists of a viper loosely coiled around an hourglass with wings. The sand in the top of the glass is gradually turning into blood in the bottom of the glass.”
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Phil Heise - Crestview, Fla.
“The tattoo is of a Komodo monitor and is located on my upper right arm. It was inspired by Ivan, the Komodo monitor at The Zoo Northwest Florida. At the time I was a docent at the zoo and was involved with the Komodo Encounter, in which I gave a brief lecture on Komodo monitors and demonstrated how Ivan was ‘target-trained.’ This is a process in which the animal learns to touch his nose to a pole in return for a treat, usually a hard-boiled egg or small fish. By target training an animal, it provides a convenient way to control the animal for veterinary exams without undue stress on the animal.” |
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Jane Randar - McDonough, Ga.
The top half of Jane’s back piece features a red-eyed tree-frog and a lizard. A matamata decorates her lower back. |
Clyde Morris - Crocker, Mo.
Clyde drew this tokay gecko. “He now rides on my shoulder wherever I go, and depending how I move my arm, his grin gets bigger to show his I’m-going-to-bite-you attitude.” |
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Brian Valentine - Virginia Beach, Va.
“This is of an eastern diamondback and a .50-caliber Smith & Wesson I own. The tat is located on my right side below my right arm and over my ribs.” |
Debbie Monie - Baltimore, Md.
Debbie’s veiled chameleon and milky treefrog inspired this tattoo on her upper thigh. |
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Claire Holden - Pittsfield, N.H.
“I am a herp-lover. I have 39 snakes at home. I have lots of vibrant, floral tattoos.
The frog is from a card sent to me by friends, and the clematis flowers are living around a sign post at Monadnock Bed and Breakfast in Colebrook, N.H. I have a talented tattooist that took both pictures, and the result was the lovely piece on my back.” |
Jason Ahman - Farmers Branch, Texas
“Here is my Japanese snake tattoo. While doing research for a tattoo to cover a previous ‘bad decision’ tattoo, I found that per the Chinese zodiac that I was actually born in the Year of the Snake! Twenty-two hours later, the old tattoo was gone, and attached is what I now have.” |
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Jeremy Harmon - Casper, Wyo.
“This is my bearded dragon tat.” |
Leigh Propper - Gainesville, Fla.
“My tattoo has multiple important meanings to me. First, it represents my love of serpents. Second, this is a modified Celtic-knot version of the mythical, ancient symbol ouroboros. Ouroboros stands for infinity, and in my version of the ouroboros, both snakes are very different, and this to me symbolizes the concept of yin and yang in the Chinese traditions. Which serpent is ‘good’ and which is ‘evil,’ I do not know, but when I look at my wrist, it seems to subconsciously keep me in check and remind me of the infinite cycles of life and to always remember that for all the bad, there has got to be some good, and out of death, there will always be life.” |
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Joshua Garman - Lynnwood, Wash.
“My flesh is ripping around the sides of the spectacled cobra’s hood, revealing that I’m really an Indian cobra underneath my human skin.” |
Tim Haub - Bakersfield, Calif.
“This is my green iguana on the left arm. I will always have a soft spot for them as they were my first ‘exotic’ lizard, and I currently have two long-term rescued animals to keep my rhinos and Cubans company.” |
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Robin Tracy - Cottonwood Heights, Utah
“I wanted a tattoo that reflected my love of herps, but not of any one particular species or individual pet. I looked for a long time to find a design upon which an artist could build. I specifically did not want my lizard to have suction-cup feet as that would tend to identify it as a gecko, and I wanted my tat to be less species-specific than that. I love the track marks leading up to it as if she crawled up my leg.” |
Rachel Kelley - Hesperia, Calif.
Rachel’s tortoise design is on her lower back. |
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Timothy Borgardt - Metairie, La.
“This tattoo on my back is crocodile skin coming out of my skin. I have loved herps since I was a kid, and this tattoo shows everyone something I love. I work at the Audubon Zoo in the swamp exhibit, and I deal with the alligators and our other reptiles daily, and I love every minute of it. I picked crocodile skin because crocodilians in general are the most awesome animals on the planet.” |
Bob Vick - Ozark, Mo.
“This is a tat on my back. It came from a T-shirt for corn snakes. I took pictures of my corns to fill in the blanks. Turned out pretty good.” |
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Rebecca Bennett - Stanhope, N.J.
“The lizards are on my right shoulder. It’s an original drawing done by me. The lizards were inspired from a combination of the day gecko and the anole.” |
Cris Hagen - Aiken, S.C.
“I am a professional herpetologist, and I specialize in turtles and crocodilians. About 10 years ago I decided I would tattoo the skulls of four slender-snouted crocs on each of my limbs. I've completed the Indian gharial, African slender-snouted croc and Australian freshwater croc so far. All I have left is the Malay (false) gharial.” |
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Russell Wood - Las Cruces, N.M.
“So my tat was inspired by geckos in general, not any one specific species. I love them all, although the green was inspired by my giant day gecko that I recently bought from my work, PETCO. The tat is on the side of my lower left leg. This is my first reptile tattoo. I have wanted one for a long time, but I never knew exactly what I wanted. Well, I figured it out, and I love it.” |
Tom Cady - Peoria, Ill.
Tom’s tattoo shows a Texas horned lizard’s skeletal X-ray that has been stained red. It’s on his right forearm. |
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Terry DeBoer - Sioux Falls, S.D.
Terry’s tribal tattoo of a ball python on his right shoulder commemorates several he owns. |
Tristan Payton - Raleigh, N.C.
“A 10-foot Burmese python that tends to be a little unfriendly inspired the design.” |
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Raymond Kadleck - Crowley, Texas
“I have a tribal lizard crawling on a tribal background design on my left calf. It was inspired by my wife's curly-tailed lizard, but I wanted a more tribal look. My wife started getting different kinds of lizards, and I became enraptured. They are fascinating to watch.” |
Timothy Mitchell - Plantation, Fla.
Timothy’s tattoo is based on a red-tailed boa he caught while herping in Trinidad and Tobago. |
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Sean Childers - Joliet, Ill.
“This is a tribute to my idol Steve Irwin. It’s on the back of my calf.” |
Mike Gascoyne - Elk Grove Village, Ill.
“This is a tattoo of a prehensile-tailed skink.” |
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REPTILES Tat Attack! Entries
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