Rabies is an infectious disease transmitted from animals infected with the rabies virus to humans. The incubation period is generally asymptomatic and clinical manifestations occur only when the disease enters the onset phase. The length of the incubation period is influenced by multiple factors. The incubation period of rabies is usually 1 to 3 months, and in very few people it can be as short as less than 1 week and as long as more than a year. The incubation period is related to individual differences such as age, wound site, wound depth, wound treatment and vaccination. Rabies virus invades the body mainly through broken skin or mucous membranes, and then invades the peripheral nervous system through the endplates and axons of motor neurons, moving “centripetally” to the central nervous system and invading the spinal cord and the entire central nervous system. In general, the more severe the wound and the closer to the CNS, the shorter the incubation period, and the more virulent the virus entering from the wound, the shorter the incubation period. For example, the incubation period for bites that occur on the head and face is relatively short. Animals do not have the ability to express themselves verbally, so the exact incubation period is even more difficult to determine and is usually not detected until the onset of the disease. Classic signs of rabies in animals include abnormal behavior, vocal changes, xenophagia, hypersexuality, drooling saliva, aimless wandering, “flying bites”, “bone in throat” symptoms, aggression, uncoordinated movements, paralysis and convulsions. In areas where rabies is endemic, wild animals that die from abnormal behavior (e.g., nocturnal animals that are active during the day) should be suspected of rabies. Rabies can be prevented but not treated, and the variable length incubation period keeps many people apprehensive after being bitten by an animal, so instead of worrying and fearing, it is better to receive early scientific and standardized post-exposure prophylaxis once bitten and scratched by a high-risk animal.