Are we truly very different from all the other animals? We are just animals, and a lot of other animals share the same features we have: ability to dream, desire, compassion, ability to suffer, regret and hope, et.c We have accomplished more as an aggregate species so far, but I am not sure if that makes us more specials. Is one nation more special than another one just because it is more "advanced"? Probably not.
We've accomplished so much as an aggregate species for a reason, though. There's something undeniably special about humans biologically that has allowed us to create and expand far more than any other species on Earth. Perhaps it's just our intelligence. Or maybe there's a quality derived from that intelligence-- perseverance? Critical thinking? Most animals show these things at some level, I think it's just a matter of where their limits are. Humans are just less limited in what they can do and understand.