Five of the nine brains (Image: Facebook, via North County News)

In the town of Gouverneur, New York, not so far from the Canadian border, a local was out walking her dogs when she found nine brains, North Country Now reports.

They were thrown out onto the street. According to a veterinarian who examined the brains, they had been removed from whatever skulls they came from quite cleanly.

The big question: what sort of skulls did they come from?

The veterinarian weighed the brains, and he judges that at 70 grams—about one-sixth of a pound—they likely came from a dog about the size of a beagle. But another brain expert looked at the picture and declared that “they look more like sheep brains to me.”

Dog or sheep, the brains most likely served some sort of educational purpose. (That’s what everyone wants to believe, at least.) And as weird as this might seem, the Associated Press seeks to reassure: “Mishaps with preserved brains are not uncommon.”

Bonus finds: A 21-year-old message in a bottle, five missing cows, a giant carrot

Every day, we highlight one newly lost or found object, curiosity or wonder. Discover something unusual or amazing? Tell us about it! Send your finds to sarah.laskow@atlasobscura.com.