This interesting little guy is the male jawfish. And yes those are eggs in his mouth, but no he's not eating them. He's actually playing babysitter! And this is so common for this fish, they're called mouth breeders or mouth brooders! Of course, when I first read this I couldn't help but think of Sue Sylvester in Glee shouting at the "mouth BREATHERS", but still. :)
While there are many different fish that are considered mouth-brooders, in this particular species it's the male that does the brooding. After the male fertilizes the eggs, he'll collect them in his mouth and holds onto them until they hatch. Some say he never lets the eggs go, not even to eat. But others say he hides them carefully in his burrow, and then goes out to eat, before piling them back in. But either way he'll aerate them (that's why we can see them in the picture.), but otherwise he keeps his lips zipped until they hatch. Which probably makes his mate extremely happy that he can't demand the burrow cleaned and food on the table all the time. ; )
