The floating bug story reminded me of an old tv ad
how long does a vw beetle float? Just watch! - YouTube

A friend rebuilt many old beetles . I learned to do wheelies in them , like lifting the front end in the air for a few yards , but it requires low fuel and spare removed to lighten the front end .

Biggest animal I ever hit was a ram which leaped from a ditch into my path whilst I was riding 2 up on a motorcycle , I reacted quick to avoid but caught the right horn of the ram on the left footrest of the bike , I did lift my foot prior to impact .
Gear linkage and footrest and ram horn all destroyed . Myself and pillion OK . ram OK but a bit dazed .