Research overview: elevational replacement among leopards, snow leopards, and tigers

In the mountains of Asia, common leopards, snow leopards, and tigers can occur along elevational gradients, partitioning the landscape by altitude and habitat. This overview synthesizes research on how snow leopards dominate the high alpine zone above the treeline, common leopards occupy forested mid-elevations, and tigers range through lower forests, with zones of overlap where two species meet. It reviews how prey distribution, snow, and terrain drive this elevational layering, and how climate change and habitat shifts may alter the boundaries between them. The synthesis frames the mountains as a vertical mosaic of big-cat niches. For enthusiasts it explains why a single mountain range can host three large cats stacked by elevation, each tuned to its band of habitat and prey, and why the overlaps between them are zones of special ecological interest.