In a threat response called `` pumpkin '' or `` pineapple posture '' , the Vampire Squid inverts its caped arms back over the body , presenting an ostensibly larger form covered in fearsome-looking though harmless spines ( called cirri ) . The underside of the cape is heavily pigmented , masking most of the body 's photophores . In a threat response called `` pumpkin '' or `` pineapple posture '' , the Vampire Squid inverts its caped arms back over the body , presenting an ostensibly larger form covered in fearsome-looking though harmless spines ( called cirri ) The underside of the cape is heavily pigmented , masking most of the body 's photophores .