Move over Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market and Royal Botanic Gardens — there is a new king in town, and it’s a baby penguin. Baby might not be the best word to describe the oversized chick who has taken the internet by storm.
Meet Pesto
Born in January, Pesto, the now 9-month-old penguin, is tipping the scales at a shocking 46 pounds. For context, Pesto’s parents each weigh 22 pounds.
According to the aquarium’s website, Pesto has a hefty appetite of 25 fish a day to keep up with his impressive size. He is officially the largest baby chick SEA LIFE Melbourne has ever seen. The aquarium is looking into global records to see if Pesto’s size has broken any around the world.
According to Michaela Smale, senior keeper at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Pesto’s size is a combination of good parenting and dad’s genes, per 9news.com.au.
There are no signs Pesto is slowing down, leaving keepers surprised.
Pesto’s TikTok debut
9news.com.au reported Smale said, “Pesto has reached more than 1.9 billion people across the globe, so he really is a draw card for visitation to Victoria.”
10 News First Australia posted a TikTok gender reveal for the infamous 9-month-old chick, which reached 2.7 million views. In the video, they excitedly announced, “It’s a boy!” The staff at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium hosted an icy party where Pesto, with his brown fluffy feathers and notable thickness, stood out prominently, noticeably bulkier than most of his fellow King penguins.
The gender reveal seemed to spark a wave of fan reactions, attracting a TikTok army who can’t get enough of Pesto’s fluffy size. Users have flooded the comment sections with their admiration. On a TikTok video with 6.1 million views, one user exclaimed, “I love Pesto so much.” Another user asked, “Does he give hugs?” And another jokingly observed, “He had to be that big to contain all the awesomeness,” capturing fans’ appeal to Pesto’s abnormal size.
Some fans, however, have rushed to defend Pesto’s size against any naysayers. “He’s just a baby, don’t call him that!” wrote one passionate supporter, while another declared, “Penguin bullying will not be tolerated in this establishment.”
Since going on display in April, Pesto has not only become a viral sensation, but Melbourne’s newest icon. Smale said, “People are no longer coming to Melbourne just for the shows, music, and coffee—they’re coming to see Pesto,” 9news.com.au reported.