An adorable penguin called Pesto has become a social media star thanks to his round shape and ample fish diet.
The nestling is just nine months old but is already taller than his parents, Hudson and Tango, measuring in at 35.4 inches.
Eating 25 fish a day, he also weighs a whopping 48.5lbs.
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Pesto, who hatched earlier this year and lives at Sea Life in Melbourne, Australia, is “officially the largest chick” the centre has “ever seen”.
Not only is he popular with visitors but he has also become a social media sensation – with a recent video getting over 3m views.
The penguin is such a star, British tourists are even planning their trips around seeing him, as reported by What’s The Jam.
“Flying to Melbourne from England on Wednesday, first stop is to see Pesto,” said a fan.
Archie added: “I’m currently crying cause I live in England and can’t see Pesto.”
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In a video that has over 3m views on TikTok, the brown penguin can be seen standing tall and proud while workers dance behind him.
In another clip, he wobbles forward to the camera.
At the moment, Pesto has brown feathers, with one fan describing him as a “kiwi”.
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“Pesto looks like a kiwi, the fruit not the bird,” said Martin.
While it’s understandably a bit confusing – given penguins are better known for their black and white colouring – Pesto’s current appearance is completely normal.
He will shed the feathers once he learns to swim – a process is known as fledging.
“Why is Pesto the best penguin name ever?,” added someone else.
“I will adopt him,” said another viewer, clearly enamoured with the cute penguin.
“Pesto is an icon,” said another person.
Someone else added: “Pesto is such a lovely chap, I love him.”
“Pesto is too adorable,” said another fan.
Abby added: “What are y’all feeding pesto? The other penguins?”
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