Soon to be wearing "tails"

Giant penguin chick “Pesto” grows up

"Pesto" with a zookeeper at the end of September

(Bild: facebook.com/melbourneaquarium)

Penguin "Pesto" has not only been enchanting visitors to the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia since September, the bundle of joy has also been causing a stir on the Internet. Now the giant baby is growing up. Soon "Pesto" will be completely dressed in the typical black and white tails and will be "slim and beautiful".

The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium spoke of a "spectacular transformation" as the chick approaches the final stages of its first moult. Penguins lose their plumage in clumps and not gradually like many other birds. "Pesto" will therefore soon be seen for the first time in his typical black and white tailcoat.

"Pesto" bigger than daddy "Blake"
"Pesto" was born in January. At the tender age of nine months, he weighed 22.5 kilos. That's quite a lot for a penguin - even though "Pesto" is a king penguin, the second largest species of flightless seabird. At 90 centimetres tall, he towered over all the other penguins in the enclosure, including his father "Blake", who was previously considered the largest of his species at the Melbourne Aquarium.

"Will be slim and beautiful"
 However, experts had already emphasized that "Pesto" will lose a lot of weight and girth when he changes into his "tuxedo" outfit. "As soon as the baby feathers fall out, he will shrink like a balloon and be slim and beautiful," said one keeper. The moult requires a lot of energy as the animals draw on stored fat.

Next phase of life begins
The moult is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. "Pesto" is gradually looking more and more like an adult king penguin and will soon be ready to enter the next phase of his life. 

This transformation is an important milestone in the animal's life. "This behind-the-scenes look is sure to delight anyone who has fallen in love with 'Pesto'," the aquarium wrote.