Why Is Pesto the Baby Penguin So Big? The Viral Bird's Aquarium Shares the Answer

Mar. 15, 2025

An adult King Penguin (left) and 9-month-old King Penguin Pesto at SEA LIFE Melbourne in Australia.Photo:SEA LIFE Melbourne/Instagram

SEA LIFE Melbourne/Instagram

The 9-month-old King Penguin’s impressive size has attracted many animal lovers to hisTikTokandInstagram videos, which appear on the social media accounts for his home aquarium. SEA LIFE Melbourne, in Australia.

“Our chonky King workin' it,” the aquarium captioned the amusing clip.

Videos like these have prompted many to ask, “Why is Pesto so big?”

SEA LIFE Melbourne must have received enough inquiries about this because a section of its website is dedicated to answering the question.

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On the aquarium’s webpageabout Pesto, there is a section titled “Why is Peso the penguin so big?”

According to SEA LIFE Melbourne, a mixture of “good genes and good parents” helped 46-pound Pesto, the largest penguin chick SEA LIFE Melbourne has cared for, reach his healthy size.

“Firstly, his biological dad, Blake, is our biggest and oldest penguin. Secondly, he’s had amazing parents raising him!” the aquarium wrote in response to the Pesto size question.

Since Moo Deng’s arrival at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi Province, Thailand, she has helped double the zoo’s visitors. The facility is also working toget the pygmy hippopotamus a patentandher own live stream.

source: people.com