SYDNEY — Pesto the penguin towers over the colony at his Australian aquarium home, a fluffy brown furball impossible to miss as he waddles across the ice.
The nine-month-old king penguin chick has shot to fame for his 23.5-kilogram heft — the weight of an overstuffed suitcase.Pesto already weighs more than his parents Tango and Hudson combined. They tip the scales at about 11 kilograms each.And with a healthy diet of up to 25 fish a day, Pesto's rotund frame will only continue to grow, senior penguin keeper Emily Thornton told Agence France-Presse.
AFP PHOTO / SEA LIFE MELBOURNEHefty and healthy Pesto's coat is mostly 'dense' feathers, Thornton said, which penguin chicks require to keep warm against freezing Antarctic temperatures.His big size is also an advantage because smaller chicks are at risk of being eaten by predatory birds in the wild.Genetics also play a part — his ancestors were some of the biggest and oldest penguins the aquarium has housed.
Australian Penguin Chick 'Pesto' Becomes Star
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