Among the flocks of sleek, black-and-white penguins at Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium, one fluffy little fellow stands out – quite literally. Meet Pesto, a chubby, chocolate-brown baby penguin who has captured the hearts of millions and skyrocketed to viral fame.
Towering over his foster parents and weighing more than both combined, Pesto is no ordinary penguin chick. Affectionately dubbed an “absolute unit” and a “linebacker,” this king penguin’s charm has swept across social media platforms, appearing on breakfast TV in the US and UK, and even drawing the attention of pop star Katy Perry.
Born in January weighing just 200 grams (7 ounces), Pesto has grown into an impressively rotund nine-month-old, now tipping the scales at 22.5 kg (50 lbs)—the largest chick ever recorded at the aquarium. His incredible growth is a product of both nature and nurture, says Jacinta Early, a marine biologist at the aquarium.
“His biological father is quite tall,” Early explains, “but he’s also been very well cared for by his foster parents, Tango and Hudson. He eclipses them now, which just adds to the comic effect.”
Pesto’s massive size is partly due to his voracious appetite. The hefty chick devours up to 30 fish a day and has built up a thick layer of fluffy down feathers, making him appear even larger. “If I poked him,” Early says, laughing, “my entire finger would disappear into his feathers.” But despite his size, she reassures everyone that Pesto is perfectly healthy and will naturally slim down as he sheds his baby fluff and matures.
Beyond his cuddly, pom-pom-like appearance, Pesto has a charming personality to match. Described as a social butterfly, he’s often the first to greet aquarium keepers with his distinctive “whistle tone” and has a habit of playfully pestering the adult penguins. “Like any typical toddler,” says Early. “He definitely seems to have a soft spot for all the keepers as well.”
Although Pesto has long been a staff favorite, his rapid rise to internet fame has surprised even those who care for him daily. From local visitors to international fans, people have been flocking to the aquarium to catch a glimpse of the adorable chick.
One such fan is Millie Jacoby, a Brit living in Melbourne, who proudly proclaims that she was a Pesto admirer before he became an online sensation. “We walked in, and there was this big, fluffy penguin… and we just kind of fell in love. He deserves to be famous,” she beams.
Handling Pesto’s meteoric rise to stardom has been a unique experience for Olivia Wilson, the aquarium’s media manager. “He’s been mentioned all over the world,” Wilson notes. “People are trading him as Bitcoin, which is just unbelievable.” By her count, Pesto’s story has reached an audience of around 5 billion people, outshining even Thailand’s previously adored baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng.
In a weekend where Melbourne’s residents are divided between the Australian Football League grand final and a public holiday, Pesto might just be the city’s biggest attraction. Whether it’s football or fluffy penguins, it seems that everyone, both in Australia and across the globe, has fallen for Pesto’s irresistible charm.
As Pesto continues to grow and shed his downy feathers, he’s sure to remain a viral sensation for years to come, proving that sometimes, even in the world of sleek, sophisticated penguins, it’s the cuddly, quirky ones that steal the spotlight.