The march of the penguins could be led by a 591ft tall behemoth if bosses at London Zoo get their way.

Plans are afoot to turn the City of London’s iconic ‘Gherkin’ building into a giant penguin in a bid to publicise the zoo this summer.

Top brass at ZSL London Zoo commissioned a production team to draw up designs of what the building would look like with a penguin makeover.

Following the release of the images, both London Zoo and penguins became top trending topics on Twitter as the public gave the scheme their backing.

Zoo chiefs at Regent’s Park say they will put further work into the plans before taking them to the owners of 30 St Mary Axe – the real name of the building – in the hope of being given the green light.

Emma Edwards, the zoo’s head of communications, said: “We don’t want anyone to miss our penguins, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to miss this one looming over the capital.

“We know it’s audacious, but let’s be honest – penguins are a lot more interesting than gherkins.”

A spokeswoman for 30 St Mary Axe said: “We would welcome any discussions with London Zoo but they have not approached us yet.”