Since 1972, a king penguin at Edinburgh Zoo has served as the official mascot of the Norwegian King's Guard. The penguin, named Nils Olav, has been steadily promoted through the ranks over the decades: from lance corporal to sergeant to colonel-in-chief to knight, and finally to major general in 2023. The knighthood was personally approved by King Harald V of Norway, whose citation declared the penguin "in every way qualified." Nils Olav eventually outranked the human soldier who first adopted him.