“As Pesto sheds his juvenile feathers and develops his sleek, waterproof adult plumage, he’s beginning to look more like an adult king penguin and is almost ready to dive into the next stage of life as part of the colony,” a rep for the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium shares with TODAY.com.

Molting is a crucial phase in a king penguin’s life because it signifies the start of independence as they prepare to leave the colony.

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.

Pesto the penguin, who lives at the Sea Life Aquarium in Melbourne, Australia, became a viral sensation for his ginormous size as a baby.