# Microplastics found in the blood of 43 of 47 tapirs and giant anteaters in Brazil, Nature study reports

- Published: 2026-11-12 06:08 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling
- Tags: microplastics in blood, lowland tapir, giant anteater, Pantanal microplastics, Brazil wildlife pollution, Cerrado, Amazon deforestation zone, plastic particles in animals
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-8f9232fa7a9739c71b96373d_microplastics_found_in/

**Researchers found microplastic particles in the blood of lowland tapirs and giant anteaters across Brazil, including in all animals tested in the Pantanal, far from settlements.**

![Microplastics found in the blood of 43 of 47 tapirs and giant anteaters in Brazil, Nature study reports](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/c30a1b9635182f69.jpg)
*Sergei ~ 5of7, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0*

An international research team found microplastic particles in the blood of wild lowland tapirs and giant anteaters from several regions of Brazil. Of the 47 animals examined, 43 carried the particles, the authors report in the journal Nature, as summarised by bluewin.ch [1].

Blood samples were collected between February 2021 and November 2022 from 26 lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) and 21 giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). The animals came from three areas: the deforestation zone on the southern edge of the Amazon region, the Cerrado (Brazil's wet savannas in the southeast) and the Pantanal [1].

## Concentration and distance from human activity

The researchers tracked the animals' movements with GPS data and compared their habitats with the measured amounts of microplastics. The concentration tended to increase with proximity to human infrastructure and waste disposal facilities: the closer the animals lived to buildings and such facilities, the higher the values [1].

## Pantanal: remote habitat, same finding

The result in the Pantanal was singled out by the authors. In the largest wetland on Earth and one of the most species-rich regions in the world, microplastics were found in the blood of all animals examined. They lived more than 65 kilometres from the nearest development and more than 112 kilometres from the nearest waste disposal facility [1].

According to the study, particles may reach remote regions through air and water [1].

## Context

Microplastics are no longer only a problem of the oceans. They have previously been detected in farmland soils, on mountain peaks, in remote forests, glaciers and river floodplains. Rivers carry plastic into flood areas, and in agriculture, films and contaminated compost can contribute to the load. The atmosphere also spreads the particles, which can settle far from human settlements [1].

The effects of micro- and nanoparticles on ecosystems and on human health have not yet been conclusively established [1].

## Sources

1. [bluewin.ch](https://www.bluewin.ch/de/lifestyle/wissen/mikroplastik-im-blut-von-tapiren-und-ameisenbaeren-nachgewiesen-li.3670143)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-8f9232fa7a9739c71b96373d_microplastics_found_in/