There’s something special about the walrus that makes it a quirky, compelling tattoo. Its appearance has an almost humanoid charm.

With his upturned snout and whiskers, the walrus brings to mind a regal, dignified gentleman.

Your walrus tattoo can include little accessories-a top hat, a monocle-as a nod to old-fashioned sophistication.

A walrus tattoo also signifies the eccentric, the strange. Walruses hold an unconventional place in pop culture. There’s Lewis Carroll’s whimsical poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from the renowned “Through the Looking-Glass.” And who can forget John Lennon’s dreamy lyrics in “I Am the Walrus”?

These walruses evade interpretation, which is why the Arctic animal makes for such a clever tattoo. Real walruses might be brown, but your walrus ink design can burst with psychedelic colors and patterns, honoring the animal’s trippy tradition.

If you have thick skin and a large circle of friends and family whom you will do anything to protect, you’re not so different from a walrus yourself-which makes it a fitting creature tat. Northern indigenous people prize the walrus because every part of its body is useful. A Chukchi legend describes how a weeping girl transformed into a walrus, her tears becoming tusks. The walrus symbolizes the ability to turn sadness into strength.

You don’t have to be a Northerner to appreciate the walrus’s majesty. Somewhere between ferocious sea dog and suave gentleman, the walrus continues the classic nautical tradition of tattoos. It stands out in a sea of anchor and pirate flag tattoos.