Even a rabbit can throw you off your bike, I nearly came off yesterday when I hit a fox carcass and skidded in all the rotting flesh and guts and so on but it was my fault, I was avoiding it Ok as I rode along, saw it fine but looked at it and all riders know if you look at something you will ride into it. So ride with your eyes shut and you will be fine.

Knobbly dual sport tyres help a lot in such situations but you need to hose the bike and your legs down later or you smell a bit from the rancid spray. A bit more than usual after a few days on the road anyway.

Don't come to Australia either, the 'rabbits' here are kangaroos up to 2 meters high. They sit on the side of the road munching the long grass then without fail they jump INTO your path. They prefer to do it at dawn and dusk when you are sleepy and cannot see very well.

The worst is snakes, they are two meters long as well and fall asleep on the warmth of the tarmac, it is just a big long rock to their senses; unlike 'roos they do try to escape when you wake them up by riding over them at a 100 kph but are angry at being disturbed and do get wrapped round your wheel and legs and inject you with deadly venom.

The crocodiles are only a problem in the Northern parts of Australia, as are the 'drop bears' in Queensland. And most of the trees they drop out of onto your heads are blown down in the Cyclones passed through yesterday. Sorry to distract you but you do have to be careful. Mozzies, huh, a big beetle or dragon fly wacking into your visor at 100 kph is a distraction too. Always wear a visor, with just goggles they can impact heavily on your face or even fly into your mouth - some flying insects are big enough they make it in bits and pieces right through your clenched teeth. Taste horrid too. A termite swarm isn't too bad, you can eat them as you go, leaves an after taste of acid and licorice. Locusts are sort of crunchy and squishy at the same time, but bland.

As CC says, in China, only small animals apart from sleeping cows, camels, wild rabid dogs, a few endangered and rare pandas hunting for habitat, mountain leopards. I don't think he mentioned the yaks? And wild ponies. And a couple of billion humans that want your bit of road?

So wear all the gear all the time, get really good medical insurance, always carry a good knife (thats what my granpa told me anyway) and travel with a buddy and a good camera so we get to see your dying breaths ...

Just make sure your friend goes first. In the end, life is about survival.