The South American flower that looks like a monkey (and hopefully smells sweeter)

By STEVE ROBSON

Spotted: The 'monkey orchid' Mr Shandra found, left, is usually found in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador in South America and bears an uncanny resemblance to a monkey

A tourist in South America couldn't believe his eyes after stumbling across a flower resembling a monkey.
Brian Shandra, 34, was travelling in Ecuador where he visited Ecuagenera - a farm which specialises in orchids.
As he wandered around he was stunned to come across the 'dracula simia', a flower found in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador.

Doppleganger:The 'Monkey Orchid' is so-called for its resemblance to apes such as the golden monkey (file picture)

Brian, a research chemist from Boston, USA, described it as a perfect example of a 'simian pareidolia' where the face of a primate is seen in an entirely unrelated object.
He said: 'We were all shocked when all of a sudden we were confronted by all these little monkey faces staring back at us.
'The weird thing was that each one was a little bit different and almost seemed to have their own personalities.
'There was a happy one, a sad one, one with a little nose, big lips - a whole family. It was a little freaky.'

source: dailymail