Meet Pesto : The Chubby baby penguin who went viral.

One tiny bird sticks out like a sore thumb among the sea of glossy black and white penguins that live in a well-known aquarium in Australia. Pesto is chocolate-brown, outrageously fluffy, and towering above his own foster parents—weighing more than the two of them put together. Known by many as a "fatty," "absolute unit," and "linebacker," this sultry woman has gained a devoted following of ardent admirers, including music sensation Katy Perry, thanks to her viral rise to fame. 

Millions of people have been exposed to pesto thanks to its widespread use on social media, extensive breakfast TV coverage in the US and UK, and ability to attract tourists from all over the world to Melbourne's Sea Life Aquarium.

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The nine-month-old king penguin, which weighed only 200g (7 oz) when it was born in January, has grown to be over a hundred times larger. He is the largest chick the aquarium has ever seen, weighing in at an incredible 22.5 kg (50 lb). According to Jacinta Early of the aquarium, it is typical for penguins to pile on some "healthy baby chub" when they hatch, but the keepers were unaware that Pesto would grow to such a massive size. "In actuality, it's a blend of nature and nurture," the marine biologist says. Although Pesto's foster parents Tango and Hudson have taken excellent care of him, his biological father is still rather tall: "He eclipses them now, which also makes him look comically large."

Hand-fed multiple times a day, Ms. Early adds that Pesto's "very healthy appetite"—a polite way of stating he eats up to thirty fish per day—is also partially responsible for his huge bulk. She emphasises, however, that he's healthy—basically half fluff—and that he'll start losing weight on his own soon. "My entire finger would completely [disappear] deep in his feathers if I poked him," Ms. Early claims.

"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." She claims that despite the fact that he is already losing some of his baby feathers, Pesto is much more than just his adorable appearance. He is a gregarious young guy who chatters away in a "cute little whistle tone" and enjoys bothering the older penguins "like any typical toddler would," according to her description. "He tends to be the first one to kind of say hi [to keepers] and he also does respond to his name."

"There are undoubtedly favourites among us," Ms. Early remarks tactfully. "[But] Pesto seems to be a little bit in love with all the keepers as well."

The public's interest in Melbourne's aquarium is growing due to Pesto, the pygmy penguin that has gone viral worldwide. Even though school holidays are the aquarium's busiest time of year, visitors swarm to the penguin exhibit just to view the pom-pom. After spending a year in Melbourne, British resident Emily Jacoby has made two trips to see the penguin and thinks it should be well-known. The person in charge of Pesto's media schedule, Olivia Wilson, makes a joke about whether Pesto or the AFL grand final will bring more people to Melbourne this weekend. With over 5 billion views, Pesto seems to have displaced Thailand's capricious young pygmy hippo as the most popular animal on the internet.