Hatched Last January at Melbourne Aquarium
Unstoppable Appetite Weighs as Much as Both Parents Combined
A baby king penguin born last January at the Melbourne Aquarium in Australia is gaining popularity worldwide, especially on social networking services (SNS).
According to Yonhap News and Australia's 9News on the 21st, the star of this popularity is a baby king penguin named 'Pesto.' Pesto hatched on January 31 at the Sea Life Aquarium in Melbourne, Australia. It was the first king penguin to hatch at this aquarium since 2022.
A baby king penguin named Pesto (front) born at SEA LIFE Aquarium in Melbourne, Australia. It still has brown feathers as it is a chick. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]
Pesto showed an enormous appetite right after birth, and accordingly, its body size grew significantly. Currently, Pesto weighs 21 kg, which is about the combined weight of its parents, Hudson and Tango. Sea Life Aquarium revealed that Pesto ate 24 kg of fish in just the past week, which is more than its own body weight.
Pesto's 'unexpected charm' lies in the fact that, despite its huge size, it is still covered in fluffy brown down feathers because it is a baby penguin. King penguins are the second largest penguins after emperor penguins. Their feathers are brown when they are chicks, but as they grow, the down feathers fall out and they change into the familiar black and white plumage we know.
People are fascinated by Pesto's contradictory appearance?a baby penguin with fluffy down feathers but a large body. The aquarium stated that more than 1.9 billion people worldwide have seen Pesto on SNS, and videos featuring Pesto have received 2.6 million 'likes' on TikTok. Time magazine recently reported that while Mudeng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus at a zoo in Thailand, has captured the public's heart, Pesto has joined the popularity contest.
Mudeng is a pygmy hippo born on July 10 at Khao Kheow Zoo in Thailand. The zoo held a naming contest for Mudeng, with over 20,000 people participating in the vote. Mudeng's popularity stems from its cute appearance and lively behavior. Especially popular on SNS are videos of Mudeng being surprised by water sprayed by a caretaker, opening its mouth wide, and playing around. As Mudeng gained popularity, merchandise such as pants and T-shirts featuring Mudeng's image were released, and fans visit the zoo daily with cameras in hand.
Unfortunately, Pesto's current appearance will soon no longer be seen. In one to two months, Pesto will grow into an adult and lose its brown feathers. Caretakers expect Pesto's weight to decrease to about 15 kg during this process. Because of this, many visitors are flocking to Sea Life Aquarium to see Pesto while it still has its baby appearance.
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