A remarkable king penguin chick named Pesto, who tips the scales at a whopping weight equivalent to both his parents combined, has captured the hearts of social media users and become a major attraction at an aquarium in Australia.
At just 9 months old, Pesto weighs in at 22 kilograms (49 pounds), making him the heaviest penguin chick ever recorded at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, according to education supervisor Jacinta Early.
His impressive size has catapulted him to global fame, with over 1.9 billion views across social media platforms, as reported by the aquarium.
In an astonishing feat, Pesto consumed more than his own weight in fish last week, devouring 24 kilograms (53 pounds), which Early confirmed is a healthy amount for a chick nearing adulthood.
As he transitions into his fledging stage, his growth will begin to stabilize. Pesto has started shedding his brown feathers, which will soon be replaced by the classic black and white plumage of a young adult. His caretakers anticipate he will slim down to around 15 kilograms (33 pounds) during this transformation.
“He’s going to start losing that really adorable baby fluff. It might take him one to two months to really get rid of it. Then he’ll be nice and sleek and streamlined,” Early explained. However, she believes Pesto will continue to be recognized as the beloved TikTok star he has become for at least another two weeks.
For now, he remains the star of the show.
“Such a small head for such a big body,” one fan commented on Friday as a crowd gathered to watch him being fed through the glass of his enclosure.
Hatching on January 31, Pesto is the only king penguin chick to emerge at the aquarium this year and the first since 2022, a year that saw six hatchlings. The reasons for the absence of chicks last year remain unclear.
Adult king penguins typically weigh between 9.5 kilograms (21 pounds) and 18 kilograms (40 pounds), according to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, making them the second largest penguin species in the world, following the emperor penguin.