I don't think consciousness is a distinguishing characteristic. We are all just highly complex chemical chain reactions occurring in the context of a changing environment. Our chain reactions are sufficiently complex that they're capable of communicating information to other chain reactions, and we happen to communicate about our experience as a chain reaction. You can't infer from the absence of communication that other chemical systems don't have experience.
I do agree that self-awareness and intelligence exist along a spectrum, along which we are apparently the farthest point.
I do agree that self-awareness and intelligence exist along a spectrum, along which we are apparently the farthest point.