How come we as humans are more intelligent than other animals? Why aren't other animals on a similar level?

nature selects traits in population adapt , fit environment best. not intelligence. human cognitive abilities not prerequisite survival. large brains expensive organs, expensive in terms of nutrition, energy use, , time takes imprint data on through extended dependent childhood. pays off in nature.

has paid off in our lineage just, because of circumstances of our evolution. primates had cognitive abilities - selected in past judge distances , strengths of branches arboreal motion - , recognise variety of foods, fruit colours, , maybe selected social group behaviour, had basic tool using abilities - our closest surviving relatives today.

our ancestors, pretty impressive ape cognitive skills, made significant transition between 7 , 2 million years ago, when through environmental pressure , climate change, moved arboreal forest ape existence, terrestrial bipedal hominin existence. sacrificed climbing abilities running abilities. out on plain, had adapt. had compete other terrestrial species - food resources, competitors, , predators, adapted niche, hoofs, claws, enzymes, , teeth. between 2 million years ago , 300,000 years ago, nature selected humans larger brains, , better cognitive abilities. came hand in hand better tool manufacture. being bipedal, primate brains, , primate hands - evolved climbing - suitable making tools - these traits adapted environmental pressures. hominin or 'ground ape' way of adapting new environment. used abilities observe other species - finding new food resources, competing against other species, avoiding being eaten.

paid off, just. hominins challenged evolutionary pressures, , know many divergences ended in extinction. our own lineage hit number of 'genetic bottlenecks', indicated in our dna. story have been different.

in addition, many modern people, living in industrialised societies, forget people same cognitive abilities us, spent many thousands of years, wandering around in stone age culture, hunting , foraging, did ancestors. few in remote places still do. 2 hundred years ago, many more did. these biologically modern humans. series of events , technological discoveries led our modern civilisation. agriculture/surplus value. civilisation/class stratification. literacy/data accumulation. seeing evolution of human technology. not kind of improvement in our innate cognitive abilities. without it, still stone age hunter-gatherers.

why humans more intelligent other animals? why aren't other animals on similar level?

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