Nero the fluffy penguin prepares for his awkward phase

Two parents watching over an awkward child with weight issues that's still living with them isn't really news. Unless the child in question is a king penguin.

Nero is, well, different than the adult penguins in his life. While mom, dad and the rest of the colony are decked out in their finest black and whites, the only child is big, fluffy and brown.

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Did we mention big?

The size is essentially a form of insurance for young penguins.

"It's like they know they'll have to figure out how to swim and catch fish and they're not going to be very good from the start, so they'll pile up the pounds in preparation for that and they'll lose a lot of weight," said Celli, who adds Nero could lose 20 to 30 per cent of his body weight.

Nero also has the squeaky voice of a developing youngster.

"He doesn't sound at all like the adults, which are quite regal and they have a very clear trumpeting sound. He has a very whistley, like little bird sound," Cellisaid.

Awkwaaaard

Nero the fluffy penguin at the Calgary Zoo

9 years ago

Duration 0:24

Nero, a five-month-old king penguin, is big, fluffy and about to go through a serious awkward phase at the Calgary Zoo.

And while he's pretty cute at the moment, looking like a hair blowout gone awrywith his brown feathers puffing out around his already impressive girthhe's about to hit a serious awkward phase.

"Like other penguins, they sort of moult all in one go, but we will be able to see patches missing, or patches of brown fluff when he's half black-and-white and half brown. It's going to look quite bizarre for a while," Cellisaid.

His brown fluff is not waterprooflike the black-and-white getup he'll soon sport, whichwill allow him to get in the water and learn to be a proper penguin.

In the wild, the process of growing up would be faster, withthe parents abandoning the child and forcing it to learn or die.

"Whereas here, he can always pester a little bit more and maybe get a free meal here and there," Cellisaid.

Nerois expected to go through his changes any time over the next three months.