Pesto is growing!

after reaching stardom In September, king penguin chick As it transitions into adulthood, it begins to replace its brown feathers with new waterproof feathers.

Pesto, who lives at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, is approaching the final stages of his first molt. According to the aquarium, this is a very important stage in the king penguin’s life because it symbolizes the beginning of independence as he prepares to leave the colony.

King penguin chicks experience their first molt at around 10 months of age, and this process can take up to six weeks per aquarium. Because molting requires chicks to expend a lot of energy, animals often lose weight while growing their new, sleek feathers.

“As Pesto sheds his juvenile feathers and develops his smooth, water-resistant adult plumage, he is starting to look more like an adult king penguin and is almost ready to dive into the next phase of his life as part of the colony,” a representative for Sea said. Life Melbourne Aquarium shares with TODAY.com.

The growth of these new feathers will eventually allow Pesto to swim. Although the brown feathers of king penguin chicks are insulating, they are not water-resistant, which is where adult feathers come in handy.

The aquarium expects him to start swimming with other king penguins as soon as his molting process is complete. website. But for now, Pesto is rocking the “soft mid-shedding” look for all the world to see.

Pesto became famous among A-list pets earlier this year thanks to his large lifestyle. 25 fish per dayand cute appearance.

Melbourne-based aquarium even houses its own aquarium gender reveal September for the penguin and of course his fans.

Many of the other penguins at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium are attracted to Pesto, according to the aquarium’s website. His biological father, Blake, is the oldest and largest penguin at the facility.