Tattoos on reptile skin?

[ohmygoat]

So, basically I'm trying to create a race of reptile people,and am hung up on one small thing: would it be possible for them to get tattoos? If you can even get visible tattoos on scales, would it last if they shed their skin yearly

Comments

[hooves]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I had a thought:

If the reptiles shed skin yearly or anything, you could create some kind of event/festival/tradition of getting new tattoos. That would actually be pretty fun. I know I'd go out and get a tattoo if I knew it would only last about a year!

[dragontatt]

I like this idea, whether or not it helps the OP... :)

[rainbowxgeek]

I also like the idea :D It's creative and sounds fun!

[ohmygoat]

That is actually a thought that has come up! I also had an idea of a character who gets a tattoo for every 'boyfriend' she gets, and everyone takes bets on whether he lasts longer than the tattoo, haha. |D

[emiliglia]

I would say yes, it's possible.

A tattoo goes into the dermis and it's a scar, really, and these reptiles can definitely scar.

It would probably depend on how thick the scales you're thinking of are, but the culture could have thicker/stronger needles than what humans use.

[ohmygoat]

Woa, I knew tattoos were scars, but I never thought to look at it that way. I was thinking liiike an iguana's skin, I guess. I should have noted that >>

Thanks! :D

[destini_isis13]

tattoos aren't really scars unless you have a shitty heavy-handed tattoo artist! ;) you don't want to build scar tissue because it warps the design and can prevent ink from settling properly. it's more of a ink deposit type of thing!

[destini_isis13]

from what i can find, snakes have an inner "skin layer that contains pigment cells that give a snake its distinctive color pattern. The arrangement of color patterns, type of scales, and scale rows are used to identify the various species."

so, in theory you could alter how their scalepatterns look, given this info. also, with this info it seems that the tattoos would be permanent. how to get the tattoo THROUGH the scales...different story!

perhaps to get a tattoo, they have to have get it at a certain age, and they have to get it right before molting, so they have their old skin that would molt off prematurely removed, so that the new replacement skin isn't as hard yet, so they can be tattooed then.

[severedscythe]

That sounds like a plan, really. 's what I was thinking! :D yay snake research

[ohmygoat]

Oooo, thanks for the ideas, I'll definitely keep them in mind! :D

[klgaffney]

i owned an iguana for a number of years, and from the research i'd done regarding a damaged toe, apparently the parts that were shiny and bright green--like the tail, for example, would grow back brown after it was lost and/or damaged. so you could definitely have permanent scarring in a different color than the original pigmentation.

[ohmygoat]

Woa, that's interesting. It actually gave me a small idea, thanks!

[calcitrix]

I'm in charge of taking care of our snake at work (nature museum). The pigment is definitely well under the layer that is shed--the shed skin is almost plain tan. I'd think that though it wouldn't show up on our snake because she's already dark, a tatoo would be possible on her. The scales aren't particularly hard, either--no problem for a needle (and it sounds like your tech could handle it). Some snakes have smooth scales and some have keeled ones. The smoother scaled snakes (think boa as opposed to a viper) are almost soft really. People are surprised when they pet her.

She's also really bright and shiny after she sheds and a little dull right before. You might consider that just in general descriptions of your characters' tattoos along the way.

I'd also like to reference chameleons--it might be fun to have a group of your people who can create their own tattoos naturally.

[ohmygoat]

omg, I'm jealous. Snakes are so awesome, I'd love to look after one ;_;

Thanks so much for all the info! It's exactly what I needed, and the the extra info is also incredibly useful. Thanks again! :D

(btw the cat in your icon is so cute it's obnoxious, holycrap calicos)