Are humans "more conscious" than any other species? Since consciousness is notoriously difficult to define, I don't think there's a consensus on greater and lesser consciousness between species.
If what I've said so far is correct, however, humans have higher consciousness than at least most other species. As I said in the last paragraph of Proto-Consciousness 03: Information, proto-consciousness experiencing a greater degree of integrated information gives rise to greater consciousness than proto-consciousness experiencing a lesser degree of integrated information. More information processing systems, more steps between the sensors and doers in (at least some of) the information processing systems, and more interaction between the information processing systems, all means greater consciousness. As well as greater ability to think in the abstract. It's a package deal.
I can't help but wonder what's next. What if we gain more information processing systems, steps between the sensors and doers in information processing systems, or interaction between the information processing systems? What would a higher level of consciousness be like? I seems kind of like a fourth spatial dimension. We can mathematically calculate some things about it, but we can't envision it. Just as the 2-dimensional beings in Flatland have no concept of turning into the third dimension that we know, we cannot imagine moving in a fourth dimension. What can we speculate about what higher consciousness would mean?
What are the degrees of lower consciousness? Surely there's a difference between our consciousness and that of the apes. And a difference between that of the apes and mice? And between mice and planaria? But can we be specific about what the differences are?