Pesto Is Growing Up! The Viral Baby Penguin Is Shedding the Fluffy Feathers That Made Him Famous

Pesto the penguin is going through some big changes!

At about 10 months old, the King Penguin chick, who went viral this year for his large and fluffy appearance, started to shed his baby feathers and gain some adult ones in a process called fledging, according to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. Pesto resides at the Australian aquarium.

Pesto, the largest chick the aquarium has ever welcomed, will continue to lose his signature brown fluff over the next few weeks, according to Sea Life. The process takes three to four weeks and should be complete — or nearly complete — this month.

When the "chonky King" is done fledging, his sleek new feathers will be waterproof "thanks to an oil gland at the base of their tail that is preened over all the adult feathers," the Australian aquarium said. "We can expect him to start swimming with the other kings soon after."

As of Nov. 6, Pesto has already lost a sizable chunk of his baby feathers as he transitions into adulthood, and the ones that remain have done so in a way that now resembles a fur coat or scarf — and inspired lots of funny comparisons online.

In the comments of Sea Life's latest TikTok — which shows Pesto, mid-molt, waddling inside the King Penguin enclosure — users joked about the viral penguin's new look as his adult appearance peeks through his baby feathers.

"Pesto in his Snoop Dog era," one top comment reads, while another compares him to Macklemore, whose iconic "Thrift Shop" coat closely resembles Pesto's new look.

But soon, even Pesto's remaining strip of brown feathers will be gone — though the aquarium assures that he will be as cute as ever.

 "Don't worry, he'll still be just as adorable," the Sea Life website reads, "he'll just be rocking his new tuxedo!"

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Pesto first shot to fame (alongside another viral animal sensation, pygmy hippo Moo Deng) earlier this year due to his large appearance, aided by his fluffy baby feathers and actual size.

Outside of his sizable appetite — Pesto eats around 25 fish a day — Sea Life attributes the bird's size to his biological dad, Blake, the biggest and oldest penguin at the aquarium.

"So, the combination of good genes and good parents explains his current weight," the website reads, "but he will lose a lot of this when he fledges (develops his adult feathers)."