[ti:]
[ar:]
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[00:00.78]The survivors of the Essex were at the mercy of sharks. Essex
[00:05.27]As one sailor wrote, "Our utmost efforts,
[00:07.71]which were at first directed to kill him for prey,
[00:10.84]became, in the end, self-defence."
[00:14.17]Now, more than ever, they needed the salvation of land.
[00:18.88]Seabirds would have been a ray of hope.
[00:21.56]While tropic birds can survive at sea for months on end,
[00:25.81]others, like frigate birds, return to roost every night,
[00:30.31]so are a sure sign of nearby land.
[00:34.55]Guided by the sun, stars and the Earth's magnetic field,
[00:39.00]seabirds navigate over thousands of miles of featureless ocean.
[00:43.76]They must all return to land to breed,
[00:46.54]often on little more than dots of sand,
[00:49.27]which makes their navigational skills even more impressive.