This Brachypelma smithi tarantula was my favorite out of the 35ish specimens I've owned over the years. He was a common new world species in captivity but had some behavioral quirks that him apart from the others. When I opened his enclosure he was skittish and nervous, an avid kicker of urticating bristles but never once made a defensive display. During normal feeding times of crickets, tropical leaf litter roaches and super worms he was a meek feeder, overly cautious in approaching food. He would go completely still if a prey item approached him. He only attacked on his terms and usually would pounce on prey 2 or 3 times before actually killing and consuming my offerings. On the other hand, I never had another spider who was so aggressive in its feeding as when I offered live pinkies such as in the picture. He was even more aggressive with pinkies than my highly defensive and voracious Old World specimens from Africa and Asia.

He died when molting into maturity and his old exoskeleton got stuck on his pedipalps. Not a huge loss considering he would have only lived another year after that final molt anyway.