Talk:Cosmopolitan distribution

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I think writers for Wikipedia biology-related articles are entirely too fond of this term. It is a sweeping generalization that should be avoided, imho. The meaning is arbitrary and subjective to the writer; witness this definition page. It seems to mean "we think you can find this (plant or animal) anywhere; that is, we lack geographical distribution data." Nickrz 12:23, 10 August 2007 (UTC)
 * No, it means "you can find", not "we think you can find". If you think that in some articles it is applied wrongly, please request a citiation. Please remember, "writers for Wikipedia" are not supposed to be "fond of" anything in their writing: they may only quote from reliable sources. And if these sources are "fond of" something, we can do nothing, except of quoting other reputable sources which disagree. `'Míkka 15:51, 10 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Unless reliable references are added it will continue to puzzle many readers. It has come a long way from "Cosmopolis" in philosophical writing and usage like Cosmopolitan for a magazine.--Felix Folio Secundus (talk) 06:29, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Sperm whale?
The Sperm Whale article suggests that it also has cosmopolitan distribution. Should it be listed here as well? --212.242.167.26 (talk) 14:23, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

I also think the Barn Owl should be listed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.36.153.113 (talk) 01:30, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Ants?
Why is "Ant" in the list of cosmopolitain species ? "Ant" is not a species, there are thousands of species of ants. Is there any particular ant species found almost everywhere ?Eregli bob (talk) 04:38, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

I know. Why is it? 78.150.185.30 (talk) 17:35, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

Domesticated animals?
I don't see an obvious reason as to why cats and dogs aren't listed here. They can survive in almost any climate, as far as I know. Something tells me I'm missing something important, which is why I'm asking instead of just doing this myself.  Leo- Roy!  review/gb 02:15, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Where the name came from
One potentially good addition to this article would be noting where the term came from.--Rockfang (talk) 18:39, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

What about “people” as cosmopolitan?
The preamble in the article states “Killer whales (orcas) are among the most well-known cosmopolitan species on the planet” and I wonder if it isn’t Homo sapiens that are. Are people excluded from biogeographic consideration of the term? We’re usually a self-centered species, so why stop here? :) Deuelpm (talk) 13:55, 9 September 2023 (UTC)


 * I agree. Invasive Spices (talk) 20:00, 9 September 2023 (UTC)


 * Humans are already mentioned as a cosmopolitan species further in the article. —Lowellian (reply) 07:37, 13 May 2024 (UTC)