Born on January 31 at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, Pesto, a king penguin, is making waves as a chick heavier than his parents Hudson and Tango.
According to Sky NewsPesto, who weighs 22kg at nine months old, eats more than his body weight in fish every day.
On the aquarium’s website, Sea Life described the king penguin chick as the largest penguin ever at Melbourne and the only chick born at the aquarium this year.
“With a healthy appetite of 25 fish per day”, the animal became known through videos posted by the aquarium on social media, which already have more than 1.9 billion views.
Some fans opined that they “can’t wait to see him grow up.”
One of the moments that caught the attention of people around the world was Pesto’s “gender reveal”. According to penguin keepers, the sex of these animals can only be determined by a blood sample, which is tested in a laboratory, not by the naked eye.
The penguin, which has already lost its brown color and begun to take on its usual black and white coloration, is now approaching adulthood and is expected to experience stunted growth.
Groomers believe Pesto should lose around 15kg during traditional shedding.
“He’ll start to lose that adorable baby fluff. It’ll probably take him a month to two months to actually get rid of it. He’ll be cute, neat and tidy,” said Education Supervisor Jacinta Early.
Generally, penguins of this species weigh between 9.5 and 18 kg.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”