Pesto the king penguin and Moo Deng the pygmy hippo have taken the world by storm with their cuteness! With Pesto coming from Australia’s Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, and Moo Deng from Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the two have become a global sensation because of their appearance – Pesto being abnormally large, and Moo Deng being chubby and slippery.
Weighing in at 50 pounds at 9 months, Pesto has broken records for the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium as the heaviest chick. Pesto’s large size is extremely abnormal when compared to his foster parents Tango and Hudson; however, Pesto’s biological father, Blake, is the aquarium’s largest and oldest.
As the baby of the group, Pesto eats more than 30 fish a day, which is twice as many as the average adult penguin; however, he also gets supplemental food from his parents, so there is a lot of waste coming from Pesto.
At nine months, Pesto’s cute fluffy look is coming to an end. At 10 to 12 months Pesto’s feathers will molt, and he will look like a typical king penguin.
On July 25, at only two weeks old, Moo Deng made her introduction to Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Moo Deng has become famous not only in Thailand, but worldwide for her sassy personality, chubby body, and rosy cheeks.
In videos of Moo Deng, she can be seen biting her caretakers (even though she has no teeth), and constantly throwing tantrums, like a true baby.
Despite popular beliefs about hippos being dangerous and aggressive, pygmy hippos are more likely to flee than fight; however, Moo Deng might be more like a common hippopotamus, as she is constantly standing her ground with her caretakers.
The famous duo is loved by everyone, with news articles and TikToks constantly being made about them. One video posted by the New York Giants shows football players choosing between Pesto and Moo Deng. There have even been videos made portraying Moo Deng and Pesto as Godzilla and Kong fighting.
Pesto and Moo Deng’s biggest contribution to the world has been showing people the importance of endangered species. It is crucial that more attention is drawn to protecting animals, so that more baby animals like Pesto and Moo Deng can survive and possibly even rise to fame.
