Inked Mag Staff

May 12th, 2022

Puffin Tattoos

These resilient sea birds make for quite wonderful tattoos

Puffins are the answer to the age-old question, What if penguins had motivation and figured out how to fly?

OK, that’s probably throwing a little unnecessary shade at penguins, but puffins are the cold weather sea bird that does it all. Do they dine on delicious fish? Yes. Do they hang out on rocks in miserable weather, looking adorable? They do. Can they fly around when they don’t feel like waddling awkwardly from place to place? Damn right.

Whereas penguins tend to stick to the Southern Hemisphere, puffins are found exclusively in the north with species found throughout both the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It’s pretty cold up around there, so if you’re a biology drop-out like I am you’ll find yourself asking, how do puffins not freeze their little tuchuses off? The secret to their inner warmth comes from their stocky stature.

It’s their shape that also gives them the puffin moniker. They look kind of swollen, puffed up if you will, and the name just stuck.

Puffins are primarily black and white (like their lazy, no flying penguin friends), but for part of the year they have incredibly colorful beaks. Much like how you may pick out some flashy clothes before hitting the club—perhaps it’s more apt to say the way you’ll cover your skin with tattoos—the vibrant colors are intended to help attract a mate. Once they’ve hooked up and settled down in their nest for the breeding season the birds shed the colorful beak.

Do you know what a baby puffin is called? A puffling. Seriously. These birds are the cutest thing on Earth and we honestly don’t deserve to share the planet with such dear creatures.

The least we can do to show our appreciation for puffins is to cover our own skin with puffin tattoos. We can’t shed them at the end of the season, but why would we even want to? Enjoy this gallery of puffin tattoos!

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A post shared by Tomka Humenchuk (@lostgirlsseries)

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A post shared by Kaya Kyoungseo Min (@kayatatt)

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A post shared by LB (@laurenblairtattoo)

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A post shared by Quiet Julian (@theboldfox)

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A post shared by Rosemary Shackelford (@rosemaryjane)

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A post shared by Parker Hollie (@parkerhollietattoo)

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A post shared by Trüdy Müller (@eltrudix)

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A post shared by . (@rachstott_tattooist)

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A post shared by Pedi Dzaak (@pedi_taetowiert)

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A post shared by True Love Tattoo (@trueloveart)

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A post shared by Dustbunnie (@mobunniemoproblems)

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A post shared by Trash Panda (@trashpaandaink)

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A post shared by Valkyrie Tattoo Studio (@valkyrie_tattoo_studio)

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A post shared by Safety Pete (@safety.pete)

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A post shared by Elizabeth W (@elizalibbylibbeth)

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A post shared by (@am.tattoos)

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A post shared by / (@amyorchard_tattoos)

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A post shared by Nicole Prouse (@nicoleellisse)

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A post shared by Suflanda (@suflanda)

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A post shared by Danny Hauke (@mygamedoesnthaveaname)

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A post shared by •AMANDA•ABBOTT• (@amandaabbotttattoo)

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A post shared by Ian Reynold (@ianreynold)

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A post shared by Evel Qbiak (@evelqbiak)

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A post shared by DOMINIC ACHILLES • NEOTRAD (@dominic_achilles)

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A post shared by Tattoo HIGH FIVE (@tattoo_highfive)

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A post shared by Love Struck Tattoo (@lovestruckannapolis)

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A post shared by Alex Rowntree (@alexrowntreetattoo)

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A post shared by Grzybnia/Mycelium Temple (@grzybnia_tattoo)

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A post shared by Amélie Fleury (@ameliefleury)

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A post shared by Skylar Rose Wasserman (@skylar_rose_art)

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A post shared by Anthony Lennox (@lennoxtattoo)

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A post shared by Duna_af (@duna_af)

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A post shared by Nol (@nolan_scheuer)

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A post shared by Katie McGowan (@katietattoos)

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A post shared by Alec Becking (@kooeetattoos)

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A post shared by Megan Stack (@stacktattoos)

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A post shared by N O E M E S Y S (@noemesystattoo)

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A post shared by Betsy Ebsen (@betsy.ebsen.tattoos)

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A post shared by Miranda Farrell (@justpeachytattoos)

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A post shared by Haus Of Tattoo (@hausoftattoo)

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A post shared by h a t t i e (@hattiejcox_tattoo)

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A post shared by Tobias (@tobiasdengrusomme_tattoo)

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A post shared by Tattoos For Your Enemies (@tattoosforyourenemies)

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A post shared by Abi Cornell (@abi_cornell)

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A post shared by ubik maja (@ubik_tattoo)

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A post shared by Catharina (@catharina_pomorin)

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A post shared by LOU HOPPER (@naturalhistory_tattoo)

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A post shared by (@stephanie_melbourne)

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A post shared by Emma Arietti (@arietti.tattoo)

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A post shared by FRASER PEEK (@fraserpeektattoo)

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A post shared by ✦ Anita La Sainte✦ (@anita_la_sainte_tattoo)

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A post shared by ⚜️ᴛ ᴏ ɴ ᴊ ᴇ ʜ ᴇ ʟ ʟ ᴇ s ᴇ ɴ⚜️ (@tohelltattoo)

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A post shared by David Roduit (@davidroduit)

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A post shared by Íslenzka Húðflúrstofan (@icelandtattoo)

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A post shared by Tomka Humenchuk (@lostgirlsseries)

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A post shared by Killer Ink Limited (@killerinktattoo)

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A post shared by Ethan Chandler (@ethan_smt)

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A post shared by ✥ Krish Trece ✥ (@krishtattoo)

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A post shared by Noemi (@noemi_tattoo)

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A post shared by Madlyne van Looy Tattoo & Art (@madlynevanlooy)

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A post shared by Pink Machine (@pinkmachinetattoo)

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A post shared by rheinsagen (@rheinsagen)

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A post shared by Tattoo Toronto.Michael Chernov (@chernov.tattoo)

And we couldn’t do a whole collection of puffins without throwing in at least one porg, or as I like to refer to them as, “Space Puffins.” They’re adorable… and delicious.