African lizard which uncannily looks like Spider-Man

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A Brazilian photographer has snapped an African lizard clinging to a rock in a pose which is uncannily identical to Spiderman and more shy than the superhero himself.

The lizard's amazing red and blue markings are strikingly similar to the suit worn by the crime-fighting, web-weaving daredevil spiderman and its distinctive red and blue markings make it a dead ringer for the web-slinging superhero.

The colourful super-creature was captured on camera by photographer Cassio Lopes on a trip to the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya with his wife Alessandra, the Daily Mail reported.

The shy lizard was spotted warming up in the sun but darted away as soon as Lopes started shooting.

"We were on a photography workshop and on one afternoon we were parked for a couple of hours near Rongai river," 38-year-old Lopes, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, said.

"It was dry at that time of the year and we'd been told a female leopard had been seen in the morning roaming around so we decided to spend some time there looking for it," Lopes said.

"After so much time without spotting the leopard we started looking for other things and my wife spotted this lizard basking in the sun on the top of a rock near the river," he said.

According to lopes, it was the first time the couple saw that kind of lizard despite their previous visits to Africa and it may even give Spidey a run for his money, both in terms of abilities and appearance.

"I think this lizard was even more shy than Spiderman himself. We were mesmerised by the colourful pattern and had never seen anything like it before. It must have brought us luck though because afterwards we managed to see the leopard we were looking for," said Lopes.

The lizard has been making news ever since it's picture appeared and even National Geographic magazine has featured the remarkable 30 cm long reptile, a native of Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda, which dines on crickets, locusts and worms.

The nimble and fierce Mwanza flat-headed rock agama lizard lives in groups with one dominant male — usually the most colourful. It's only a coincidence that this picture has emerged just days before The Amazing Spider-Man movie is releasing worldwide on 4 July.