Are humans higher life forms than animals?

[The Mikado]

There's no good yes or no answer as it completely depends on the context and what is meant by "higher."  My non-answer is "in some respects effectively yes for all practical purposes, in other respects absolutely not."

[The Mikado]

Humanity has certain qualities that has allowed it to dominate much of the planet...though the ocean is still profoundly inhospitable to human life, as is the underground without extensive work.

Whether that indicates "superiority" is a judgement I don't feel qualified to make.  After all, humanity didn't always exist and it won't always exist, and the owner of the planet ten million years from now might wonder at how maladjusted these weird bipedals with the giant skulls were for ruling the planet.  They don't even have gills!