The giant elands are spiral-horned antelopes. Despite its common name, this species broadly overlaps in size with the common eland ("Taurotragus oryx"). However, the giant eland is somewhat larger on average than the common eland and is thus the largest species of antelope in the world. They are typically between in head-and-body length and stand approximately at the shoulder. Giant elands exhibit sexual dimorphism, as males are larger than females. The males weigh and females weigh . The tail is long, having a dark tuft of hair, and averages in length. The life expectancy of giant elands is up to 25 years in the wild, and about 20 years in captivity.