How Much Can We Think of Other Animals as Being Like Us?

How much can we think of other animals as being like us? We're fascinated with this. People are constantly trying to come up with something that will make us different. Insects have a really weird version of kidneys, called malpigian tubules. They they do strange stuff. And so they're like showing you this other world that is completely different. It seems to me, thet insects and other animals can be not like automatons or robots but they can also not be like us.