All About Pesto, the Very Large and Viral Penguin, and Why He Is So Darn Big!

Pesto the king penguin is gaining worldwide popularity and capturing hearts along the way with his adorably fluffy, rounded body and impressive size. At just nine months old, Pesto the penguin weighs in at 21 kg (about 46 pounds), making him the largest chick Sea Life Melbourne has ever seen, according to the aquarium’s official website.

While Pesto’s adorable looks, which scream "he's so fluffy," are certainly enough to make him go viral, it's his size that has the internet buzzing. With the average king penguin weighing between 21 and 40 pounds, according to the (ASOC), Pesto is clearly on the higher end of the scale, and he's still a baby. So, why is Pesto so big? Here’s what we’ve managed to uncover about him.

Pesto's weight can be attributed to many factors. The aquarium states that Pesto's biological father, Blake, is their "biggest and oldest penguin," while his current parents, Hudson and Tango, are raising him well.

The aquarium notes that he consumes 25 fish a day, so combined with his favorable genetics and nurturing parents, this contributes to his growing size. However, the aquarium explains that Pesto will lose some of that fluff once he fledges, which is the process where a chick sheds its downy feathers and replaces them with adult feathers.

In a TikTok shared by the aquarium, it’s explained that the gender of a king penguin can’t be determined just by appearance. So, Pesto's gender wasn’t known until September 2024, several months after his birth. To determine his gender, a blood sample had to be sent away, as the video’s narrator explains, and it was eventually confirmed that Pesto is a boy.

In September 2024, Katy Perry shared a cute clip of her visit with Pesto the penguin at Sea Life Melbourne on TikTok. During her time there, she learned that Pesto is fascinated with bubbles, happily using his beak to pop them as they gently float to the ground. How cute!

Before Katy could blow some bubbles, the adult king penguins sounded their "baby penguin defense alarm," as she noted in the video’s text overlay. It seemed they were a little protective of their chicks as she approached their territory. "OK, I hear you," Katy calmly said while the penguins ignored the fact that a superstar was in their presence!

It seems Katy's visit was sparked by the aquarium's TikTok showcasing their chunky little chick, inviting her to come see him. She even responded in the comments, "OK, I will come by and get a blessing before I take the stage at the @afl."

Katy isn't the only one utterly obsessed with the charming king penguin. Fans have been flooding the comment section of the aquarium's delightful videos of him, with some suggesting that just a hug from Pesto would be enough "to save us all." Other comments echoed similar sentiments, with many saying they just wanted a hug or, at the very least, a plushie version of the lovable Pesto.