A large, world-famous penguin is going through some changes. Pesto, the fuzzy King penguin and social media sensation from the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia is beginning the natural molting process. It’s completely normal, but the fluffy bird looks a little bit different from when he first went viral over the summer. Here’s what you should know.
Who is Pesto?
The juvenile King penguin was born at the aquarium in January 2024. His arrival was quite exciting for the aquarium, since no other King penguins chicks parched last year. Pesto is also the only King penguin that has hatched this year.
Pesto weighed less than half a pound when he was born, but has gained notoriety on social media for his huge size and fuzzy feathers.
Why is Pesto so big in the first place?
According to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium Education Manager Olivia Hill, Pesto’s size is a combination of nature and nurture.
“A combination of his parents’ genetics (his biological father Blake is one of Sea Life Melbourne’s largest birds) and excellent care from his foster parents, Tango and Hudson,” Hill tells Popular Science.
Pesto began to rapidly balloon in size. He’s made it up to 50 pounds as only a juvenile, while adult King penguins typically weigh 31 and 37 pounds. Pesto is the biggest chick that this aquarium has ever had. However, he won’t necessarily always be so large.
“He is dropping in weight now as his parents have stopped feeding him (as is typical at this stage as they are molting themselves) and will soon be a similar weight to all the other adults,” says Hill.
VIDEO CREDIT: Sea Life Melbourne…
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