They are not spikes - they are arms. They use these 'arms' to catch other cells to mutate them or eat them.
Because HIV is a virus. Viruses have spikes because it is their way of reproducing.
Most of the time if an animal has spikes, they are there to protect them from predictors.
porcupine
Spikes are proteins that are part of the viral capsid/envelope (depending on if the virus is a naked virus or not). It helps with attachment to the host cell. They are derived from their host cell's own proteins (but are not the same as their hosts), and can help in evading the host cell's defenses.
The function of spike proteins is to imitate a protein your cells take in to allow the virus access to the nucleus.
animal jam is not a virus
A hedgehog is an animal with spikes that can be found in gardens. These small mammals are nocturnal and feed on insects, making them beneficial to have around. They use their spikes for protection by curling into a ball when threatened.
hedgehogs
Hedgehog or porcupine.
Leaf sheath and spikes
Spikes on viruses are made up of proteins that are used to attach the virus to host cells. These proteins play a critical role in allowing the virus to enter and infect host cells by binding to specific receptors on the cell membrane.
A vampire squid.