Bats are fascinating creatures. Nocturnal, equipped with super powers of flight, able to ‘see’ sounds and communicate with ultrasonic sounds. Extremely useful to people, but also feared by some, these creatures of the night are among the most popular tattoo subjects.
Bat Tattoo Symbolism
As it goes, people look for hidden meaning everywhere, and bats are no exemption. While some see them as representation of mysticism, fear, the occult, and, obviously, vampires, others will point out that bats symbolise happiness and prosperity, rebirth, intuition, journey… but to us, they’re just Goddamn cute!
Tattoo by Nate Stephens 
Tattoo by bold colourful tattooing 
Tattoo by Alayna Chloe Tattoo
In the Greek mythology, bats were associated with the goddess Diana, representing fertility and motherhood. Early Christians depicted falling angels with bat wings, while American Native people saw bats as symbols for life and rebirth . The Chinese culture sees bats as a symbol of luck, and we’re 100% on board with that! The way we see bats today is mostly associated with modern portrayal in Batman or Dracula, where the bat is strongly associated with the hero or the villain, depends on how you look at it.
Bat Tattoo Placement and Styles
Looking for bat tattoo inspiration? You’re in the right place! With over 50 hand picked bat tattoos in our gallery, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
Although a lot of people fear bats, there’s no shortage of fans for the only mammal capable of flight. Some people are so fascinated by the animal that they devote their skin to immortalize the flying creature.
From tiny gap filler so full backpieces, tattoos and bats go well together and bats are a common motif in multiple tattoo styles. Blacwork being the obvious choice, we found a number of amazing color bat tattoos, especially done in the Neo Traditional style.
Blackwork Bat Tattoos
Tattoo by ALUCARDA 
Tattoo by Corinne Clapper 
Tattoo by bloody_barby 
Tattoo by barbtattoos Tattoo by Alayna Chloe Tattoo 
Tattoo by Aimeé
Black and Grey Bat Tattoos
Tattoo by Davide Piaia 
Tattoo by Carli Ihde 
Tattoo by Adam Nagy Tattoos
Neo Traditional Bat Tattoos
Tattoo by David Dalzell 
Tattoo by Dalton Humphrey
This is entirely non-scientific, but we get the feeling that most people opt for a bat tattoo around Halloween, as they usually end up on themed flash boards at discounted prices.
50+ Bat Tattoo Designs
Find your bat tattoo inspiration in our gallery below.
