Here's what we know:
* Similar-sized cat lifespans: Modern big cats like lions and tigers live to be around 10-15 years in the wild.
* Fossil evidence: Scientists can analyze the bones of saber-toothed tigers to estimate their age at death. This suggests that some individuals lived to be quite old, perhaps even exceeding 15 years.
* Environmental factors: Lifespan in the wild is heavily influenced by factors like food availability, disease, and predation. Saber-toothed tigers, like other large predators, would have been vulnerable to these challenges.
Therefore, it's reasonable to estimate that saber-toothed tigers likely had a lifespan of 10-15 years or perhaps even longer, under ideal conditions.
It's important to note that this is an estimate based on limited information. We may never know their exact lifespan with certainty.