These winged snakes range in color from violet to vibrant green to glossy black; the most commonly encountered peuchens are a dark, tawny brown. Those in jungles tend to match the patterns found on local pythons. Rarely, they sport a series of red, white, and black bands, with the thin white band sandwiched between the thicker red and black bands. When peuchens are not flying, their leathery, batlike wings lie folded along their bodies, matching the coloration of the hides below. Their eyes are a brilliant green, with snakelike pupils. Peuchens have a smooth, dry texture to their diamond-shaped scales and smell faintly of nutmeg. Their fangs fold up into their jaw, but snap into place to bite prey with lightning speed. A peuchen measures around 12 feet long and 1 foot in diameter at its thickest point, with a wingspan of 8 feet; it weighs nearly 250 pounds.