In the new Wes Anderson movie The Darjeeling Limited, three brothers attempt a spiritual journey through India, traveling mainly by train. They have shenanigans and reflect on their lives and, except for an ill-advised serious turn late in the movie, it's a fun time. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman are great as the three brothers.

On a stop at a temple, the brother played by Adrien Brody buys a cobra at a market. Later, he wakes up in his bunk on the train to discover that the snake's wooden box (painted with skull and crossbones) is empty. Cobra on the loose! All three brothers burst from the sleeper compartment, screaming; the conductor goes into the compartment, emerges with the snake, and drops it in an ice bucket, and that's pretty much it for the snake component of the movie.

So we here at National Geographic wanted to know: Is this remotely plausible? I called Rick Borchelt to ask. Rick is a science writer and naturalist and was the Missouri Junior Rattlesnake Jamboree Champion of 1972 or 1973 (he can't remember). Rick has traveled in India and identified the little guy in the movie as a spectacled or Indian cobra, Naja naja. Indeed, Rick says, it's pretty easy to find cobras to buy in India. The movie's website has a behind-the-scenes video of one of the actors, Waris Ahluwalia, with the snake.

Here's what to do if you do realize a cobra is loose in your train compartment:

1. Keep your ankles away from dark, quiet areas under the seats. "It's likely in some dark corner and likely to stay there," Rick says.
2. Like the brothers, you may wish to exit the compartment, although screaming is optional. Snakes can't hear, but do detect vibration and movement.
3. If you can find a conductor who's willing to get the snake out, that's not a bad idea. "But given the state of trains in India, it's unlikely that you could contain a snake in one compartment," says Rick.
4. On the upside, if the cobra you bought was raised for snake charming, it may have been defanged. And they won't attack unless they're provoked...but perhaps it's best not to bring a cobra on board in the first place.

— Helen Fields

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