٠٠:٠٢:٤٥Mandatory credit: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
A nine-month-old chunky king penguin chick named Pesto has not only broken the internet but also the scales, as he continued to gain weight and popularity at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Melbourne on Wednesday.
While still a chick, Pesto - at 90 centimetres tall - already towers over his foster parents.
"To give you some reference, both Tango and Hudson weigh only about 11 kilos, while Pesto last weighed in at just over 21. This gives you a good insight into how big Pesto really is compared to his parents," she added.
Footage shows Pesto waddling towards the camera, his fluffy brown feathers making everyone smile. Visitors were also seen watching him play with other penguins, flap his wings, and celebrate his gender reveal - male - with blue ice.
"I know millions of people around the globe have been eagerly anticipating the gender of our king penguin chick, Pesto. I am super excited to announce today that he is a boy," said Michaela Smale, Pesto's keeper.
Penguins are usually monomorphic so it is impossible to determine the gender by sight. The keepers had to take a small blood sample from Pesto and send it to the laboratory.
His size may be linked to his lineage- his biological father happens to be the aquarium’s largest and oldest penguin - as well as his considerable appetite, eating around 30 fish a day.
Pesto already has a global audience of social media of an estimate five billion.
Big baby! Huge king penguin chick Pesto goes viral, wows visitors to Melbourne Aquarium
A nine-month-old chunky king penguin chick named Pesto has not only broken the internet but also the scales, as he continued to gain weight and popularity at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Melbourne on Wednesday.
While still a chick, Pesto - at 90 centimetres tall - already towers over his foster parents.
"To give you some reference, both Tango and Hudson weigh only about 11 kilos, while Pesto last weighed in at just over 21. This gives you a good insight into how big Pesto really is compared to his parents," she added.
Footage shows Pesto waddling towards the camera, his fluffy brown feathers making everyone smile. Visitors were also seen watching him play with other penguins, flap his wings, and celebrate his gender reveal - male - with blue ice.
"I know millions of people around the globe have been eagerly anticipating the gender of our king penguin chick, Pesto. I am super excited to announce today that he is a boy," said Michaela Smale, Pesto's keeper.
Penguins are usually monomorphic so it is impossible to determine the gender by sight. The keepers had to take a small blood sample from Pesto and send it to the laboratory.
His size may be linked to his lineage- his biological father happens to be the aquarium’s largest and oldest penguin - as well as his considerable appetite, eating around 30 fish a day.
Pesto already has a global audience of social media of an estimate five billion.
Mandatory credit: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
A nine-month-old chunky king penguin chick named Pesto has not only broken the internet but also the scales, as he continued to gain weight and popularity at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Melbourne on Wednesday.
While still a chick, Pesto - at 90 centimetres tall - already towers over his foster parents.
"To give you some reference, both Tango and Hudson weigh only about 11 kilos, while Pesto last weighed in at just over 21. This gives you a good insight into how big Pesto really is compared to his parents," she added.
Footage shows Pesto waddling towards the camera, his fluffy brown feathers making everyone smile. Visitors were also seen watching him play with other penguins, flap his wings, and celebrate his gender reveal - male - with blue ice.
"I know millions of people around the globe have been eagerly anticipating the gender of our king penguin chick, Pesto. I am super excited to announce today that he is a boy," said Michaela Smale, Pesto's keeper.
Penguins are usually monomorphic so it is impossible to determine the gender by sight. The keepers had to take a small blood sample from Pesto and send it to the laboratory.
His size may be linked to his lineage- his biological father happens to be the aquarium’s largest and oldest penguin - as well as his considerable appetite, eating around 30 fish a day.
Pesto already has a global audience of social media of an estimate five billion.