I agree with Staiduk. I strongly suspect that there are many animals on Earth with near human intelligence (dolphines, certain species of wolf, certain species of ants (very alien intelligence though if they have it), chimps, gorillas, ravens, and maybe a few others).
They are intelligent, and they are probably completely selfaware. But they don't have civilization, and they don't have technology. I think life is common in the universe, and I think intelligence is common in the universe. I believe that culture is a little less common, and that techonology is truely rare. Why? Because for most species it simply won't be necessary. Humans only developed technology because we were too gimped to survive on our own
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Paraphased from Calvin & Hobbes: "No tail, no claws, no fangs, no fur no nothing." (couldn't find the exact quote sorry)