Killer Whale Tattoo Meaning, Design & Ideas

The killer whale tattoo, also known as the orca whale tattoo, is a group of tattoo designs that people get both because they love the look of the whale and because there are so many great meanings attached to this humongous mammal.

Just seeing their cool and unique look is probably enough to make you understand why these tattoos are so popular, but those who do end up getting these designs often have deeper reasons.

On this page, we will take a look at some of the great meanings attached to killer whale tattoos and some design options you’ll have if you decide to get one.

Orca whales are apex predators, which means that there isn’t a fish in the sea that dares try to hunt them. For this reason, the killer whale tattoo can represent royalty. Sometimes people will make this meaning clearer by adding in other royalty symbols, such as crowns or staffs. You can even make this meaning clear simply by putting your orca whale next to some smaller fish and mammals.

Interestingly, killer whales are not actually whales; they’re actually a type of dolphin. Those who were interested in getting dolphin tattoos could include a killer whale in their designs to show that they love every dolphin found in the ocean. This is an especially good idea for anyone who loves the sea and simply wants to get a large oceanic portrait on their skin.

One of the most common killer whale tattoo meanings is motherhood. The reason for this is because female orcas, not the males, are the leaders of their families. You can use this meaning to show that you are a proud mother, or you can even get an orca tattoo to honor your own mother. This meaning might not be obvious, so if you do want others to know what it represents you could include other symbols of motherhood around the killer whale design.

People who pride themselves on being great communicators might find the killer whale tattoo to be the perfect design for them. These awesome mammals express themselves through an extensive list of sounds that all of their fellow whales can understand, and they also can understand each other through their body movements. This is the meaning you’ll want to use if you find that one of your top traits is being able to easily make your feelings known when you talk to people.

Killer whales are also extremely social creatures as you will very rarely find one off by itself in the wild. Social people are often quite proud of that quality, so it’s no surprise that this is a common meaning used by people who end up getting killer whale tattoos. You can make this meaning clearer by putting three or four orcas in your design, though you can use the same meaning even in designs that only have one whale included.

Another great killer whale tattoo meaning is teamwork since these creatures are always working together when they’re on the hunt. This is an excellent meaning to use if you are an athlete or if you find great value in working together to achieve common goals. Again, you don’t have to tweak an orca tattoo to use this meaning, though it can help to show multiple orcas working together on something in your tattoo.

Intelligence is yet another great meaning that can be attached to the killer whale tattoo. As we pointed out above, orcas are constant commutators and they aren’t the type of creatures that have to repeat themselves in order to be heard.

This shared intelligence is one of the main reasons why these creatures have been around so long and why they continue to thrive despite being so large. If you were looking for a great symbol of intelligence or cleverness, you would be hard-pressed to find a better one than the killer whale.

Despite their name implying the opposite, killer whales are extremely peaceful creatures. There are a lot of other peace tattoos out there, but that actually makes the killer whale tat a bit more intriguing since people rarely think of these mammals when they are trying to come up with a peace tattoo to get. You can also include a killer whale in a larger peace tattoo design.

As far as design goes, you really can go in any direction with your killer whale tattoo and use any of the meanings listed above. You can have one orca swimming across your body, or you might even opt to get two or three of these whales working together. You also have the option to get your orca tattoo in all-black ink rather than using its natural colors.

Some people will add some water in the background so it looks like their whales are swimming, but they can also look great without the water. These are the types of things you should think about before you start actually having your orca tattoo drawn up for you.

You can place a killer whale tattoo pretty much anywhere on your body, but in most cases, you will want to place it in a way that shows off its entire form. They work extremely well as forearm and shoulder tattoos, especially if you are only planning on getting one whale in the design. They can also look great on the back for those who are trying to get larger killer whale tattoos. It really comes down to personal tastes since you won’t lose or gain any meaning regardless of where your tat is placed.

The truth is that just about anyone can get one of these killer whale tattoos since most of us can come up with at least one meaning that makes sense for our personalities. They look fantastic on the skin, they have symbolism that stretches across the spectrum, and, best of all, these are the types of tattoos that people very rarely end up regretting. If you do want to get one, be sure to hire an artist in your area who you can trust to make it look amazing on your body.

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