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Happy birthday Pesto! The famous baby penguin is celebrating his first birthday

He captured our hearts and minds with his cuteness, and now he's turning one!

Liv Condous
Written by
Liv Condous
Lifestyle Writer
A king penguin
Photograph: Sea Life Melbourne
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Can you believe our bouncing baby bundle of penguin joy is one year old?! It's Pesto's birthday, and he's officially made his first trip around the sun. From going viral in mid-2024 to transforming from a fluffy chick into a majestic king penguin, Pesto's first year has been truly eventful.

Pesto was born on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, to his penguin parents Matilda and Blake. At birth he weighed just 196 grams, but he grew up in the blink of an eye, becoming the largest penguin chick ever born at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium.

Two adult penguins and a small fluffy baby penguin.
Photograph: Kit Haselden

King penguin chicks are known to put on weight very quickly until around the time of their first birthday, when they then begin to lose baby fat and fluffy feathers. At his heaviest, Pesto was a big boy, weighing 23.5 kilograms, but has now slimmed down to around 16 kilograms.

A big fluffy penguin surrounded by adult king penguins.
Photograph: Kit Photography

When Pesto was around six months old, he became a viral internet star. People from all over the world were absolutely enamoured by his cuteness, and how he was such a big, fluffy bundle of joy. Visitors at the aquarium waited in long queues to catch a glimpse of the adorable baby. Celebs like Olivia Rodrigo and Katy Perry met him, and there was even a mural painted in Melbourne's CBD in his honour – everyone was obsessed with Pesto.

He started losing his baby feathers in October 2024, going through a bit of an awkward penguin puberty stage, but now he has transformed into his final form as a sleek king penguin. He loves to swim, play with bubbles and eat lots of fish. 

A molting penguin with some fluffy feathers.
Photograph: Alex Frank

To celebrate, Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is throwing a huge birthday party. Pesto will get a special birthday cake, and there'll be enrichment activities to make it a fun day for all the penguins.

If you'd like to find out more about Melbourne's favourite penguin Pesto and his birthday, head to the Sea Life website here.

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