Mate Binding

The male golden orb-weaver spider give back rubs to females in between copulation rounds. Otherwise the cannibalistic female, who is five to 10 times larger than the male, may decide suddenly to kick and eat him instead of continuing. The male spreads silk over her dorsum and crawls up and down her back. Seeing that the practice only occurred after a female became aggressive, scientists observed that the massage had a calming effect.