Two at least 13-foot, mature, male thresher sharks have died after they became stranded in Cape Cod Bay the past week, according to New England Aquarium officials.

One shark got stranded Tuesday in Wellfleet, and the second Saturday in Eastham.

“Cape Cod is like a natural fishtrap and Wellfleet Harbor is like the main catch,” said John Chisholm, a shark biologist at the New England Aquarium.

Scientists say beached sharks are not uncommon in December, when the Atlantic Ocean dips to around 40 degrees. Like humans, sharks prefer to swim in warmer water.

“These animals which are in the Gulf of Maine and parts north will begin to move out and try to move out quickly, and some will get trapped within Cape Cod Bay and work their way along the shoreline but they get stranded generally after t

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