澳大利亚墨尔本海洋生物馆迎来了有史以来最大的小企鹅宝宝——Pesto，一只9个月大的王企鹅。Pesto的体重达到约45.4公斤，这个数字超过了它的亲生父母体重的总和。
从它1月30日出生以来，海洋生物馆一直记录着Pesto的成长过程。很快，它那蓬松的小身体让工作人员既感到惊讶也深受喜爱。当Pesto仅仅三个月大的时候，其重量就已经达到20磅左右，远远超过了它的“父母”Hudson和Tango的体重总和（每只约5.4公斤）。
据美联社报道，Pesto的成长速度惊人：在9月初，它已经被称重超过46磅；到了月末，这个数字已攀升至近49磅。这已经超出了其“父母”的正常体型范围。墨尔本的养鱼师杰西娜·埃利认为：“他的体型让他看起来格外庞大。”
Pesto之所以如此茁壮成长，并且能够超越其“父母”，还因为一些内在因素，比如其优秀的基因、优良的家庭环境以及非常健康的食量：每天都有多达30条手工喂给它的鱼类。此外，它是墨尔本海洋生物馆自今年年初孵化的唯一一只王企鹅，也是自2022年以来首次成功孵化的小企鹅。
Pesto的成长视频在网络上迅速走红，甚至引得国际明星关注，比如katy Perry在TikTok上发布了与Pesto共舞的视频，并表示会前来为即将在澳大利亚橄榄球联盟总决赛中表演做“祈祷”。这些互动展示了对Pesto的喜爱之情。
在巨大的体型下，Pesto正在学会如何走路，它优雅的步伐似乎有些笨拙，但却是成长的一部分。工作人员预计，当它完全脱羽并变轻时，它的体重最终会稳定在大约33磅左右。
新闻来源：www.cbsnews.com
原文地址：Meet Pesto the Penguin, Australia’s nearly 50-pound baby penguin capturing hearts worldwide with its hefty fluff
新闻日期：2024-09-25
原文摘要：
An aquarium in Australia is now home to the biggest baby penguin it has ever seen. Pesto, a 9-month-old king penguin, has weighed in at just under 50 pounds — more than the weight of both his parents combined. Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium has been sharing Pesto's journey since he hatched on Jan. 30. It didn't take long for the fluffy baby animal to shock aquarium employees, but also win over their hearts. By April 24, when Pesto was just 3 months old, he already weighed 9.1 kilograms, about 20 pounds. According to the Associated Press, his foster parents Hudson and Tango weigh 11 kg, about 24 pounds, each. "He eclipses them now, which also makes him look comically large," Melbourne aquarist Jacinta Early told CBS News' partner BBC. By early September, the aquarium said Pesto weighed in at just over 46 pounds, and by the end of the month, the AP said Pesto had reached 49 pounds. The aquarium says on its website that many factors contribute to Pesto's "impressive weight.""Firstly, his biological dad, Blake, is our biggest and oldest penguin," the aquarium says on its website. "Secondly, he's had amazing parents raising him! 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)." His "very healthy appetite" is also a factor, Early told the BBC. Pesto will eat up to 30 fish that are hand-fed to him ever day.King penguins are the second-largest penguin species in the world, according to the American Bird Conservancy, and will typically fledge when they're 14 to 16 months old. While male penguins are usually slightly larger than females, the Australian Antarctic Program says that the average penguin size is far below Pesto's current size, with peak weights ranging between 10 and 15 kg — 22 to 33 pounds — during courting periods. "If I poked him, my entire finger would completely [disappear] deep in his feathers," Early said. "When he does start to fledge, he'll lose a lot of that baby fluff, and he'll also lose much of that weight, so he'll slim down nice and sleek." Keepers at the aquarium told the Associated Press they expect him to end up at around 33 pounds after he loses "that really adorable baby fluff."Videos the aquarium has posted of Pesto have taken the internet by storm. Even Katy Perry has joined in on the love for Pesto. In one TikTok that's racked up more than 4 million views, aquarium staff members are seen dancing with Pesto to one of Perry's songs. Perry responded, saying she "will come by and get a blessing" before her expected performance at the Australian Football League's grand final."Our chonky King workin' it," the aquarium says in another video of the massive baby penguin walking behind one of the adult birds in the enclosure — with a strut that can only be described as a seemingly difficult waddle.The Associated Press says that Pesto has been the only king penguin to hatch at the aquarium so far this year and the first since 2022. That year, there were just six hatchlings.
