How are you going to use/view the pictures? Unless you are going to print >11x14, you will be hard pressed to see the difference in image quality for pictures taken under good conditions

I would assume there will be PLENTY of light in the Galapos to drive a fast shutter speed. Of course, there are new p&s like the Olympus XZ-1 with bright f/1.8 lenses that will help also. The last option is to turn up the ISO one stop, from 100 to 200 - that will double your shutterspeed. If your camera is reasonably new, ISO200 shouldn't have too much noise ... if it's older, then maybe so.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't recommend a mirrorless camera in your situation, something like the Panasonic G3 or Olympus PEN series. Considerably smaller than a DSLR:

but with DSLR AF speed, much less shutter lag than a compact, and the benefit (also the drawbacks) of interchangeable lenses.