SYDNEY: Pesto the penguin towers over the colony in his Australian aquarium, a fluffy ball of brown fur impossible to miss as he waddles across the ice. The nine-month-old king penguin chick gained notoriety for its hefty weight of 23.5 kilograms (51.8 pounds) – the size of an overstuffed suitcase. Pesto already weighs more than his parents Tango and Hudson combined, each weighing about 11 kilograms. And with a healthy diet of up to 25 fish a day, Pesta’s rotund frame will continue to grow, senior penguin keeper Emily Thornton told AFP. Thornton said that because Pesto is so “food oriented,” just getting him on the scale to measure his weight can be challenging. It is already the largest penguin Sea Life Melbourne has seen. Pesta’s fur is mostly “thick,” Thornton said, which baby penguins need to keep warm against the Antarctic cold. Despite the fish diet, these feathers smell like cornflakes, Thornton added. Genetics also play a role – his ancestors were some of the largest and oldest penguins that the aquarium kept. “He’s really healthy,” Thornton said, adding that “chickens can be bigger than him” in the wild. The pesto soon sheds its fluffy feathers as it develops its adult plumage, giving it yellow on its head and cheeks and a black and white tuxedo. “This process drains energy and his appetite is greatly reduced,” Thornton said. King penguins are found in Antarctica and their population remains fairly stable, with about 1.6 million breeding pairs. During the 19th and 20th centuries, king penguin populations were nearly exterminated as they were intensively hunted for meat, oil and blubber.
