2014 art. An updated version of this creature.

Description from the original submission page:

A while back, I did a doodle of a canine creature with a bio-luminescent growth similar to that of an anglerfish. While it was a cool picture and looked pretty nice, I was unsure if such a thing would actually be practical and ways to "improve" the concept into a more plausible, functional creature. This is the result.

This creature is primarily an insectivore, with a luminescent tongue to attract its prey. I imagine the tongue might actually be somewhat sticky, similar to that of a frog or toad, to trap bugs and other small critters that come in to investigate. Even if the bugs don't land on its tongue, they would still be attracted close enough to the mouth to be quickly snapped up and eaten. While this position is ideal for attracting flying prey, I'd imagine it would also be very effective to lie flat on the ground on its belly with its tongue out much like this to attract crawling prey. Perhaps to make the creature even more opportunistic, it could also sit with its mouth in the water, using the glowing tongue to attract fish and other aquatic critters.

Design-wise, I abandoned the generic canine form and instead modeled it a bit after my various ridgeback creatures, giving it the same general facial and body structure and mane. Perhaps this creature is native to that same world. I also went for a bit blander coloration, something that would work a bit better as camouflage when the creature is sitting in the tall grass or amongst bushes, trees and other ground cover.