Not since Chester Cobblepot hobbled through the streets of Gotham City has a penguin so enthralled the public.
A baby penguin named Pesto at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia has taken the internet by storm, thanks to its girth.
“At just nine months old, Pesto tips the scales at a whopping 21kg (46 pounds), thanks to his hearty appetite of 25 fish a day. He’s officially the largest chick SEA LIFE Melbourne has ever seen, making him a huge hit with guests and fans around the world,” the aquarium writes on its website.
“From tender moments with parents Hudson and Tango to his adorable waddles into the colony, Pesto has been a true crowd-pleaser."
Pesto is large due to a variety of factors, according to the aquarium. Among them is the fact his biological father is the facility’s biggest and oldest penguin, while Pesto also has “amazing parents raising him,” explains the aquarium.
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“So, the combination of good genes and good parents explains his current weight, but he will lose a lot of this when he fledges (develops his adult feathers.),” the aquarium says.
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Pesto has also become a viral sensation. The aquarium posted a gender reveal for him earlier this month, and fans rallied around his stardom in the comments section.
"Pesto is a celebrity fr," one person wrote.
"Pesto! You bring the world so much love and joy! Thank you for existing," another penned.
His fans on TikTok have jumped onboard the hype train by sharing their own videos while visiting him at the aquarium.
Pesto isn't the only animal to go viral recently. Moo Deng, a baby hippo at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, has also hit the big time and some fans on X are here for her and Pesto.
"Moo Deng and Pesto are what this world needed fr," one person wrote.
"the big chonky penguin pesto and the expressive little hippo moo deng are literally the only things keeping me sane rn," someone else joked.
"pesto and moo deng have completely taken over my timeline and fyp on tik tok. i am obsessed," another person commented.
"I, personally, am ready for my Twitter feed to return to mostly photos of Moo Deng the baby hippo and Pesto the baby penguin," another user wrote.
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