The longest known individual measured 5.85 m (19.2 ft).[3] Despite the word "cobra" in its common name, this species does not belong to genus Naja but is the sole member of its own. It preys chiefly on other snakes and occasionally on some other vertebrates
Ventral scales are uniformly oval shaped. Dorsal scales are placed in an oblique arrangement.[13] Males have 235 to 250 ventral scales, while females have 239 to 265. The subcaudal scales are single
grew to around 18.5 to 18.8 ft (5.6 to 5.7 m) before being euthanised upon the outbreak of World War II. The heaviest wild specimen was caught at Royal Island Club in Singapore in 1951, which weighed 12 kg
