A rare Omura’s whale has been caught on camera for first time swimming off of the coast of Madagascar.

The elusive whale was one of up to 25 discovered by a team of biologists led by Salvatore Cericho during a study at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the BBC reports.

Until now little was known about the species, and there had never been a confirmed sighting of the whale by a scientist.

The team first officially spotted the whales in 2013, when they sighted a mother-calf pair swimming close to their boat.

The biologists quickly realised the whales had unique characteristics, ruling out the possibility they were Bryde’s whales, which they are often mistaken for.

“I was excited because I knew we had found Omura’s whales,” Mr Cerchio told the BBC.

“Some teammates thought it might be a new species and began to think of new names.”

By late 2014, genetic tests had confirmed the team had discovered the first live population of Omura’s whales.

“Omura’s whales are built for speed,” Mr Cerchio said.

“(They are) spectacular animals.”

Along with the footage, the team also logged sightings of up to 25 individual Omura’s whales.