He has appeared on television, and his social media profile is breaking popularity records. We are talking about a giant young king penguin that has become the main attraction of the Australian Oceanarium.
Pesto, as the penguin is called, is only nine months old and weighs 23.5 kilograms. This makes him, according to the BBC, more than twice as heavy as his foster parents. Hudson and Tango are very young penguins, weighing 11 kg each.
He eats 30 fish a day
According to the oceanarium's employees, the animal's exceptional weight is due to its large appetite (Pesto eats about 30 fish a day) and good genes. His biological father is one of the largest penguins living in the Melbourne Aquarium – Pesto has already outgrown him.
As Jacinta Early from the aquarium admitted, the keepers did not expect the penguin to reach such sizes. “If I touched it, my whole finger would disappear deep into its feathers,” she said.
The pesto will soon shrink a little. Juveniles are covered with thick dark brown fur to keep them warm during the winter, and later lose weight as they develop mature feathers.
Internet star
Pesto has its own social media profile and has millions of followers. Among them is singer Katy Perry. Only the information that the penguin is a male, which turned out recently, brought him new fans. The last few king penguins to hatch at this aquarium were female.
The animal has also already appeared in television programs.
Penguin Pesto SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Main photo source: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium