Pesto Penguin

Celebrity Chonky Chick

With our finger on the pulse of trending baby animal news, I had to bring you word of Pesto, the impressively large king penguin chick hatched in January at Sea Live Melbourne Aquarium. Similar to his whopping stature, his Internet fame took on massive growth in September thanks to his dramatic development. At 9 months old, he tips the scales at a massive 21 killograms (46 pounds), more than both his foster parents’ combined weights. He is the largest chick ever hatched at the aquarium, and the first male succesfully hatched there. Helping him pack on those pounds is a diet of up to 30 fish per day.

biggestbirdpesto

A post shared by @biggestbirdpesto

The zoo credits both genetics and parenting to Pesto’s impressive size. His biological father is Blake, the zoo’s oldest and largest king penguin. Additionally, the zoo opted to have a younger mated pair, Hudson and Tango, care for the chick and they have provided exceptional care in feeding and raising the youngster. But it also provides for a particularly comical juxtaposition, with the parents being dwarfed by their massive foster child.

Recently surplanting hot topic Moo Deng in current Internet viewing “hits,” Pesto has reached international fame and become a viral Internet sensation and a feature on UK and US television segments. Although he probably won’t be featured as a blush model, his adorable brown fluff have entranced fans, who have flocked (har!) from around the world to get a glimpse of the colossal chick. American pop singer-songwriter Katy Perry counts herself among his admirers and in September made the pilgrimage to see the avian luminary in person, although due to zoo biosecurity she was not permitted to kiss him as she had wished.

Eventually Pesto will lose his downy brown fluff that adds to the illusion of his grandiose size and like all penguin chicks he will drop some of his baby weight. But thanks to his gregarious nature, chirpingly interacting with (and sometimes annoying—toddlers, amirite?!) the other penguins in the zoo’s pod, he’s set to be a popular zoo attraction for years to come.

BBC: "Meet Pesto: the fat baby penguin and viral superstar" by Tiffanie Turnbull, 9/24/24

Sealife Melbourne: Visit our baby King Penguin Pesto!

Thanks to ace editor Craig Nixon for giving this one a look-over!