Speak Out: Shark Week's Most Jaw-Dropping Moments

In the summer of 1987, the Silver Spring-based Discovery Channel unleashed a lineup of shark-centric shows that, a quarter century later, sends millions of fin-atics and land lubbers alike into a full-on feeding frenzy.

The 25th anniversary of Shark Week, which started Sunday, opened with “Air Jaws Apocalypse,” a follow-up to last year’s Emmy-winning program on the famously airborne Great Whites of Seal Island, South Africa.

This year, viewers can also vote via Twitter and Facebook for what they want a mechanical megalodon—that most fearsome of extinct dino-sharks—to chomp with its hydraulic jaws. Tweets tagged #SharkWeek might even get on the air.

So whether you marvel at the beauty of the ocean’s top predators or watch transfixed in morbid fascination, the rest of Shark Week 2012 is packed with plenty to hook your interest:

• “How Jaws Changed the World” (Tuesday, 9pm) details the seemingly paradoxical effect Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster has had in vilifying sharks while eventually helping give rise to a “golden age of shark science.”
• “Shark Fight” (Wednesday, 9pm) profiles shark-attack victims who have since made it their mission to defend the ocean’s apex predators
• “Shark Week’s 25 Best Bites” (Thursday, 10pm) takes a look back at the program’s biggest thrills and most memorable moments.

In that spirit, we want to hear about your hunger for (or distaste of) Shark Week.