Allow me to jog your memory about the Vacanti mouse, since it’s been almost 10 years since this little guy was making headlines.

Back in the mid-90′s, photos of a mouse with a human ear-shaped cartilage structure growing out of its the back started making the rounds. The team responsible created this little guy to “demonstrate a method of fabricating cartilage structures for transplantation into human patients.” Despite the horror this elicited from animal rights groups, I think it’s amazing what these scientists were able to do.

And that brings me to what I’m really amazed by when it comes to this tattoo: Russ Abbott’s ingenious approach to melding this guy’s ear into the tattoo he was getting. Sure, we’ve all seen a cleverly appropriated navel or nipple over the years — but a whole ear?

Hats off to Russ for this one!

Tattoo by Russ Abbott at Ink & Dagger Tattoo in Atlanta, GA