Pesto (penguin)
_(cropped).png) Pesto at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in 2024. | |
| Species | King penguin |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | 30 January 2024[1] Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne, Australia |
Pesto (hatched 30 January 2024) is a king penguin chick living in Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium who gained notability in September 2024 due to his exceptionally large size.
Life
Pesto was hatched 30 January 2024 at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium,[1] and weighed 200 grams (7.1 oz) at birth.[2] His biological father is Blake, another king penguin living at the aquarium,[3][4] although keepers opted to have two younger penguins, Tango and Hudson, raise Pesto as foster parents.[5] Pesto was the first king penguin chick to be hatched at the aquarium since 2022.[6] Pesto was first put on display at the aquarium in April 2024.[7]
At the time of his gender reveal in September 2024, which was broadcast on social media,[5] he weighed 21 kilograms (46 lb),[8] making him the largest king penguin chick to ever live at the aquarium.[3] By that month, he was eating about 25 fish per day and 24 kilograms of fish per week, an average amount for a king penguin of his age.[6][7] As of 23 September 2024[update], Pesto was reported to be 90 centimetres (35 in) tall and weigh 22.5 kilograms (50 lb).[5] Despite being a chick, he weighs more than his parents Hudson and Tango combined, although he is expected to lose weight after fledging.[2] Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium partly attributed his large size to genetics, as his biological father Blake is the largest penguin at the aquarium, and partly to care by his foster parents.[4]
Pesto has received extensive attention online, becoming an Internet meme on TikTok due to his large size.[9] He has affectionately been described by fans as a "fatty", an "absolute unit", and a "linebacker".[2] While visiting Melbourne for the 2024 AFL Grand Final, American singer Katy Perry stated that she wanted to kiss Pesto.[10] She met with the penguin on 27 September, although she did not kiss him due to biosecurity measures.[11]
See also
- Moo Deng, another baby zoo animal that gained online popularity in 2024
References
- ^ a b Gatluak, Nyibol (28 March 2024). "Penguin chick Pesto melts hearts at Melbourne aquarium". The Canberra Times. Australian Associated Press.
- ^ a b c Turnbull, Tiffanie. "Meet Pesto: the fat baby penguin and viral superstar". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Visit Pesto". Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ a b Bender, Kelli (25 September 2024). "Why Is Pesto the Baby Penguin So Big? The Viral Bird's Aquarium Shares the Answer". People. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Marcus, Lilit (23 September 2024). "Pesto the baby penguin is already taller than his parents. Now he's a social media star". CNN. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b McGuirk, Rob (20 September 2024). "Huge Australian king penguin chick Pesto grows into social media star". Associated Press. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ a b Treisman, Rachel (20 September 2024). "A massive baby penguin named Pesto is inhaling fish and winning fans". NPR.
- ^ Williams, Chris (8 September 2024). "Australia aquarium hosts adorable gender-reveal party for penguin chick". LiveNow from Fox – via Yahoo News.
- ^ Walrath-Holdridge, Mary (23 September 2024). "Why Pesto, a massive penguin chick, is vying to be the internet's favorite big baby". USA Today. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Kearney, Georgie (25 September 2024). "Katy Perry reveals the one local she wants to 'kiss' while in Melbourne". 7news. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Brown, Melissa (27 September 2024). "When Katy met Pesto: A pop megastar meets a mega-sized penguin". ABC News. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
External links
Media related to Pesto (penguin) at Wikimedia Commons
