A mysterious breed of Orca whale that is rarely ever seen has likely been spotted in Chile, thrilling scientists who have spent years searching for the elusive mammal.

An entire pod of what is believed to be the ‘Type D’ orca was filmed off Cape Horn at the southern tip of Chile this week.

The first known footage of the rare whales was only filmed in 2015. This time, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists were able to get close enough to take tissue samples.

“Type D killer whales could be the largest undescribed animal left on the planet and a clear indication of how little we know about life in our oceans,” marine ecologist Bob Pitman said.

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