Eight million mummified dogs are estimated to have existed in the ancient Egyptian catacombs of Anubis in Saqqara, south of Cairo, according to a new study by British researchers.

The researchers from Cardiff University in Wales estimated the startling figure after working in the catacombs of a temple dedicated to the jackal-headed god of death Anubis in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara, which served as the necropolis of the Ancient Egyptian capital Memphis.

The mummies were used by ancient Egyptians as religious offerings to Anubis, who was depicted with the body of a man and head of a jackal.

"It's not some sort of blood sacrifice. It's a religious act that's done for the best possible motive," the project's director Paul Nicholson from Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion told CNN .

"Maybe you're hoping that the animal will help someone in your family who has died recently (so that) Anubis will take care of that (relative)," Nicholson said.

The researchers found that many of the 8 million mummies have since disintegrated or been taken out by grave robbers and industrialists to be used for fertilizers. The ones that still remain in the ancient tomb haven't survived very well.

"It would be quite difficult to easily find complete, nicely wrapped mummies," Nicholson said. "What you have got is the decayed remains of the mummies."

The researchers took a sample of the number of mummies in a part of the catacombs and then used that sample to estimate how many mummies existed in the tomb. The researchers think one of the reasons there were so many mummies is that the dogs were very small.

Nicholson told Live Science that many of the dogs were only hours or days old when they were mummified, which indicates that the younger puppies found at the catacombs were likely "bred — farmed if you will — for the cult."

The mummification of animals and the culture of animal cults, which are uniquely characteristic of Ancient Egypt, have long been known and recognized by researchers and intellectuals alike. According to Live Science, the Roman poet Juvenal wrote in about A.D. 130, "Who has not heard, Volusius, of the monstrous deities those crazy Egyptians worship? One lot adores crocodiles, another worships the snake-gorged ibis … you’ll find whole cities devoted to cats, or to river-fish or dogs."