Pesto the Penguin has become an internet star. He was born nine months ago and is already taller than his parents! He lives at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Melbourne, Australia.
A king penguin named Pesto is 9 months old and is already taller than his parents! He stands at about 3 feet tall and weighs about 50 pounds! Since he is still young, he has brown, fluffy feathers, but when he becomes an adult, he will grow a waterproof black and white coat. According to Lilit Marcus at CNN, “Although most people recognize the adult black-and-white birds, king penguins are born covered in brown feathers. Once they learn how to swim, they will begin shedding those feathers- a process known as fledging.” (Marcus, September 22).
Pesto also eats a lot. Pesto gets fed 8 fish, four times a day, which is equal to more than 30 fish per day. That’s twice as many fish as an average adult penguin eats! Also, because he eats so much, he produces a lot of waste. CNN says, “ Smale explains that penguins poop about every 15 minutes, meaning keepers are very busy making sure the penguin exhibit is clean when visitors come.” (Marcus, September 22).
Pesto is already starting to lose a few of his baby feathers, and is expected to slim down in the next couple of weeks. As of right now, he is still an internet star and viral sensation, getting millions of views on Tik Tok. According to Mary Walrath-Holdridge with USA Today, “One comment saying simply ‘I wanna meet pesto sooo bad’ was liked by over 25,000 people, showing just how strong the internet’s love for Pesto is.” (Holdridge, September 23)
It is also worth saying that swimming lessons from his dad should be starting soon. Nobody quite knows what’s in store for this big baby, but he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon!
