Meet Pesto, an oversized penguin from Australia captivating the internet
Pesto, a nine-month-old king penguin at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, has become a social media sensation. Weighing 20 kg and standing 90 cm tall, Pesto is already larger than his parents. His record-breaking size and unique brown feathers have sparked widespread interest in penguins online. The viral photos of Pesto are helping to educate the public about the fledging process, where king penguin chicks lose their brown feathers as they learn to swim.
Pesto's record-breaking size attracts millions online
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium shared a video of Pesto on Instagram, stating, "Pesto the penguin has just broken a record at @sealifemelbourneaquarium becoming the center's biggest ever chick, weighing in at 20 kg." The video quickly went viral, garnering over 45 lakh views. In the video, it is revealed that Pesto consumes about 25 fish daily across four feeds - nearly double the amount an adult king penguin eats. This high intake has contributed to his rapid growth.
Pesto's unusual size and upcoming transformation
Jacinta Early, an education coordinator at Sea Life Melbourne, noted that it's "quite unusual for Pesto to be this big and heavy," as penguins of his age at the aquarium typically weigh no more than 18 kg. However, the aquarium anticipates that Pesto will lose weight in the coming weeks as he begins to fledge and develop his adult feathers. Early mentioned that she has already started to see some feather loss beneath his wings.
Determining Pesto's gender and unique parentage
Determining a penguin's gender is not straightforward due to their similar appearances. To identify the sex of a penguin, keepers take a small blood sample from the bird's toe and send it for lab testing. Interestingly, Pesto's biological father, Blake, is one of the largest and oldest penguins at the aquarium. However, Pesto is being raised by Tango and Hudson, two younger penguins chosen by Sea Life keepers for their parenting potential.
Pesto's journey to adulthood begins
As Pesto continues to grow, he still receives extra food from his parents, leading to frequent waste. Penguins are known for their high metabolism, resulting in them defecating approximately every 15 minutes. This keeps the aquarium keepers busy maintaining a clean exhibit for visitors. Pesto is now beginning to shed his baby feathers and will soon start swimming lessons, likely under the guidance of his father.
Pesto the penguin: A joyful mystery and a gender reveal
When the aquarium organized a "gender reveal" for Pesto, many admirers were uncertain of his gender, as king penguins lack externally visible traits to distinguish males from females. Claire Burrell, the general manager of Sea Life Melbourne, expressed that Pesto has brought immense joy to everyone at the aquarium and to penguin fans worldwide. King penguins are the second-largest penguin species, after emperor penguins, with adults typically weighing between 9.5 kg and 18 kg.
