Meet Pesto, the 49-pound baby penguin going viral online

There's a large babe taking the net by storm, and he's of the avian variety.

Meet Pesto, the nine-month-old king penguin chick stealing hearts and bumping up attendance astatine the Sea Life Aquarium successful Melbourne, Australia.

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Pesto weighs much than some his arrogant parents combined astatine a staggering 49 pounds. His parents, Hudson and Tango, each measurement astir 24 pounds.

According to a connection from the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Pesto is the heaviest chick the installation has ever had.

His sex was announced to the satellite earlier this period erstwhile his keeper, Michaela Smale, "shovel[ed] distant a upland of caller snowfall to unleash an avalanche of blue."

According to the aquarium, Pesto has a "hearty appetite of 25 food a day," contributing to his monolithic size.

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Pesto's value isn't the lone happening that's increasing successful size--his online pursuing connected societal media tract TikTok has blown up too. According to an aquarium statement, the chick has amassed astir 2 cardinal views worldwide.

Claire Burrell, General Manager of Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, said of Pesto, "he has brought immense joyousness to everyone present astatine Sea Life Melbourne and to penguin fans astir the world. We look guardant to sharing his aboriginal escapade – which volition see fledging and past swimming lessons."

Pesto is pictured with his handler astatine Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Michaela. (Sea Life Aquarium Melbourne)

As Pesto approaches adulthood, his accelerated maturation volition plateau arsenic a fledgling. The chick has already begun molting its brownish feathers, which volition past beryllium replaced by the achromatic and achromatic ones emblematic of king penguins.

Keepers astatine the aquarium expect Pesto to driblet his babe value arsenic helium matures to astir 33 pounds.

Parents Hudson and Tango measurement little combined than their large baby, Pesto. (Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium)

"He’s going to commencement losing that truly adorable babe fluff. It mightiness instrumentality him 1 to 2 months to truly get escaped of it. Then he’ll beryllium bully and sleek and streamlined," said one keeper to the Associated Press.

Pesto hatched into the satellite connected January 31. For the remainder of the portly penguin's clip arsenic a chick, the aquarium says "Pesto has been a existent crowd-pleaser."

According to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, king penguins measurement betwixt 21 pounds and 40 pounds arsenic adults.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.