Video: Internet sensation Pesto the Penguin is showing signs of growing up

The internet’s favorite penguin is beginning to grow up and lose the fluff that helped make him famous.
Pesto the Penguin, a king penguin at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, was one of two zoo animals that captured people’s attention last month. The other was Moo Deng, a newborn pygmy hippo at a zoo in Thailand, as previously reported by Deseret News.
The two adorable internet sensations sparked debates over who was the public’s favorite, with both racking up millions of views on social media.
Pesto became a hit due to his large size, even earning himself the nickname “linebacker.”
In one particularly popular video, Pesto waddles beside an adult penguin, looking like a giant in comparison.
According to CNN, at 9 months old, Pesto already weighed 50 pounds and stood 3 feet tall, making him heavier and taller than his parents.
The aquarium explained on its website that Pesto’s size is due in part to his biological father, Blake, who is the oldest and largest penguin at the center. Pesto got his “good genes,” the aquarium said.
Additionally, Pesto eats a healthy diet of 25 fish a day.
Recently, Pesto has captured attention again as he begins to grow up and fledge, which is when baby king penguins lose their brown adolescent feathers and develop the more recognizable white, black and orange adult plumage.
For some fans, the transition is a bittersweet moment, as they had come to love Pesto’s fuzzy, brown feathers, which added to his unique charm.
According to Britannica, king penguins are the second-largest penguin species, after emperor penguins. They typically weigh 31 to 37 pounds and stand 33 to 37 inches tall. In comparison, emperor penguins weigh around 55 to 100 pounds and are about 50 inches tall.
This has led some fans to wonder if Pesto may have a bit of emperor penguin in his genes.
Britannica also notes that king penguins usually begin molting their brown plumage at 10 to 12 months old, finishing the fledgling stage around one year. In the wild, they live about 26 years, while in captivity, they can live up to 41 years.