(Photo by Annika Cline - KJZZ)

A child named Micah watches the sharks.

(Photo by Annika Cline - KJZZ)

Sea Life aquarist Kassie Harrold feeds sharks.

(Photo by Annika Cline - KJZZ)

A view of the Ocean tunnel at Sea Life Aquarium in Tempe, Ariz.

Even if you’re thinking about anything but sharks right now, it only takes two notes for them to come swimming back to mind.

Sharks are an icon on the screen, from Spielberg’s "Jaws," released 40 years ago, to Discovery Channel’s "Shark Week," going on now. A local aquarium is using the annual cable event as a springboard to educate people about some sharks that don’t get a lot of spotlight.

It’s lunch time at the Sea Life Arizona Aquarium.

"Today they’re getting some capelin, some herring, sardine and then we also give them a really big species of fish called bonito," said Kassidy Miller, a Sea Life aquarist.

She feeds the aquarium’s blacktip reef sharks by attaching the goodies to a long pole and sticking it into the water, where all sorts of creatures are swimming around. Then suddenly, there’s a huge splash.

The sharks, it turns out, were not the culprit. In fact, Miller said they’re pretty gentle. It’s a very different scene from what you might find on Shark Week.

Baiting the sharks with food like a giant ham baits viewers to watch them rip it apart. But some feel these action-packed “feeding frenzies” could leave viewers with a false impression.

"Their lives are just a lot more complex than we think," said Steve Bitter, the curator at Sea Life Arizona.

Bitter and his team of aquarists are using this week to focus on their eight species of shark, with shark feedings, talks and scavenger hunts.

"We try to put kids and all of our guests in a position where they can really appreciate an animal and really connect with it and, you know, kind of really gain that fascination that drives all of us I think to really do what we do," he said. 

The point of Sea Life’s Shark Week is for visitors to get to know sharks, face to fin. Tiffany Dressler comes here with her kids about twice a week, so you could say they know these sharks pretty well. One of their favorites is the leopard shark.

"He likes to chase it around and around and around," she said.

Dressler also watches Shark Week and said she enjoys the shows, but she’s not hooked on the drama.

"I mean, they spend hours and hours on the water observing these sharks and tracking them and then you see the show in 45 minutes you know and it’s, it’s hyped up," she said.

Here, visitors get a fully unedited show that reveals a surprisingly gentle side to sharks, despite their multiple rows of teeth.

Shark Week at Sea Life Arizona runs through Saturday.