Pesto, a king penguin chick at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, has become a social media sensation and a star attraction thanks to his extraordinary size. At just 9 months old, he already weighs a massive 22 kilograms (49 pounds), making him the heaviest penguin chick the aquarium has ever seen. This is especially impressive considering his parents, Hudson and Tango, weigh a mere 11 kilograms (24 pounds) each!
His global fame has grown alongside his size. Over 1.9 billion people worldwide have seen Pesto through social media, proving his adorable fluff and massive appetite have captured hearts across the globe. This penguin’s appetite is truly remarkable – he devoured more than his own body weight in fish last week, a whopping 24 kilograms (53 pounds)! While this may seem like a lot, veterinary experts assure us that this is healthy for a chick nearing adulthood.
As Pesto enters his fledgling period, his growth will plateau and he’ll begin to shed his brown baby feathers, replacing them with the sleek black and white plumage of a young adult. His keepers expect him to slim down to around 15 kilograms (33 pounds) during this transformation. “He’s going to start losing that really adorable baby fluff,” explained Jacinta Early, the aquarium’s education supervisor. “It might take him one to two months to really get rid of it. Then he’ll be nice and sleek and streamlined.” However, she expects Pesto will remain recognizable as the TikTok celebrity he has become for another two weeks. For now, he remains a star attraction, with visitors gathering in awe at feeding time. “Such a small head for such a big body,” one admirer remarked on Friday.
Born on January 31st, Pesto was the only king penguin chick to hatch at the aquarium this year and the first since 2022, when there were six chicks. The reason for the lack of chicks last year remains unclear. Adult king penguins, according to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, typically weigh between 9.5 kilograms (21 pounds) and 18 kilograms (40 pounds). They are the second largest penguin species in the world, after the emperor penguin.
