The Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" special may be toward the end of July, but on Massachusetts famed southeastern peninsula, the shark activity is already well underway.

In less than a week, from Wednesday June 27 through Tuesday, July 3, researchers have reported nearly a dozen white shark sightings off of Cape Cod, which sees some of its highest tourism times during the Fourth of July week. On Monday alone, five great white shark sightings were reported along the outer peninsula, forcing a temporary beach closure at Head of the Meadow Beach.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's "Sharktivity" map, designed by a team of Cape Cod officials and wildlife researchers, reports 11 white shark sightings across Cape waters in the last week. The sightings span from Chatham waters on the southern tip of the Cape to miles north near Provincetown. Two other unconfirmed sightings were also reported.

On the tip of Chatham, a nearly 12-foot-long shark was spotted on Friday. On Friday, Saturday and Monday, three sightings were reported off the coast of Provincetown.

On Saturday, a "public sighting" report identified a great white shark further from the coast, closer to the Cape Cod Bay side of the peninsula, which is more unusual since sharks are typically found on the oceanside. In the report, boaters observed a shark swimming in calm waters: "Curious about boat then swam off," the note reads in the Sharktivity tracking application.

On Monday, at Nauset North Beach in Orleans, a report says multiple beachgoers observed a great white shark feeding on a seal off the beach.

Shark attacks in Massachusetts are incredibly rare: the last fatal shark attack in the state occurred in 1936, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy was bitten while swimming at Hollywood Beach in Mattapoisett. Since 2000, there have been three shark attacks in Massachusetts, none of which have been fatal.