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

• Brian Shandra, 34, spotted the orchid on holiday in Ecuador
• 'Dracula simia' usually found in forests above 2,000 metres

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.

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

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.

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

'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.'

The dracula simia, known as 'the monkey orchid' is usually found in cloud forests more than 2,000metres above eye-level in Peru and Ecuador.

'Dracula' literally means 'little dragon' in reference to the two long spurs which protrude from the petals like fangs.

'Simia' refers to the plants monkey-like appearance.

The orchid was only named in 1978 by the botanist Luer, but is in a family containing over 120 species mostly found in Ecuador.

Up in the cloud mountains the Monkey Orchid can flower at any time - it is not season specific.

It's scent resembles that of a ripe orange.