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Michael Amoia (USA) has a staggering 864 insects tattooed on his body, as confirmed on 28 October 2021.
His artwork includes beetles, ants, earwigs and moths.
Some of these tattoos include:
@guinnessworldrecords Most insect tattoos 🐜🦟 864 by Mike Amoia 🇺🇸 #tattoo#tattoos#insects♬ original sound - Guinness World Records
His first tattoo was of an ant that he got on his right forearm when he was 21 years old.
"The first one I got was a red queen ant. She got pregnant and that’s where it all spawned," explained Mike.
Many would deduce that Mike enjoys entomology or simply loves the look of bugs.
However, that’s far from the truth.
"A lot of people think I like bugs – actually it’s the complete opposite. I’m afraid of bugs, I hate bugs. But is has multiple meanings, that’s why I put them all over my body." - Mike Amoia
"It’s some dark meaning, but more of a positive message ."
He also has other creepy crawlies tattooed on his body, including spiders and two massive millipedes. These don't count towards the record total however, as they are not technically insects - spiders are arachnids and millipedes are myriapods.
The millipede on his chest is 17 inches wide and 19 inches long, and he also has a 50-inch one on his back.
Mike’s tattoos can attract a lot of attention when he’s out and about.
"People always come up to me and talk to me about my work."
"I guess I have to expect it; but when they learn about my story they start to formulate a completely different opinion of me."
"Hopefully I can open up some people's minds so they can realize, you know, there’s a few ways to look at things and don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess."
Mike is a music producer, starting his career when he was 22, and has worked with many high-profile clients.
He has also started various businesses including Vidiots, Switchblade Entertainment Group and Mibe Music. It’s fair to say that the New York native has enjoyed incredible professional success.
"It’s always funny because any time I put these [tattoos] on [my body] everybody said it would deter me from getting a job or making any sort of real money."
"Now, twenty something years later, I’m using it to actually raise money and awareness."
Mike has a plan to utilise his record-breaking artwork to create a unique NFT (non-fungible token), which can be sold to raise money for a cause close to his heart.
Mike sits on the board at For a Bright Future, a foundation that donates equipment and money to "underprivileged, underrepresented kids."
"If I can create an NFT out of these tattoos and validate it with Guinness World Records then we can donate some of the proceeds back to these kids."
"My tattoos have a personal meaning to me as it takes me back to my childhood, and I figure it’s a nice full circle story."
We're excited to see what the future holds for Mike's extraordinary and record-breaking tattoos.
You can follow Mike on Instagram at @aiomaekim