Chocolate-brown and fluffy, Pesto is a 9-month-old king penguin that weighs 52 pounds, more than twice the combined weight of his parents. He has drawn hundreds of visitors to an Australian aquarium and now the bird can count Katy Perry as one of his biggest fans.
Pesto is growing up! After reaching stardom in September, the king penguin chick is beginning to shed his brown feathers in exchange for new waterproof ones as he transitions into adulthood. Pesto, who lives at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, is nearing the final stages of his first molt. It’s a crucial phase in a king penguin’s life because it signifies the start of independence as they prepare to leave the colony, according to the aquarium.
“As Pesto sheds his juvenile feathers and develops his sleek, waterproof adult plumage, he’s beginning to look more like an adult king penguin and is almost ready to dive into the next stage of life as part of the colony,” a rep for the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium shares with TODAY.com. Growing these new feathers will allow Pesto to eventually swim. While king penguin chicks’ brown feathers are insulating, they are not waterproof, which is where their adult plumage comes in handy.
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