Pesto the massive king penguin chick has begun his molting process, losing the fluffy brown feathers which defined his look adored the world over on social media.

The viral king penguin chick at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is beginning to lose his youthful down, a process that will give him his distinctive and waterproof adult plumage

In a kind of bird puberty, Pesto is losing his baby feathers and adult feathers are taking their place. While king penguin chicks have fluffy, brown down feathers for the first 10 months of their lives,