I think it's also worth thinking of humans as a kind of "menagerie" species. There are entire other species of animals who exist either on the input or output s

I think it's also worth thinking of humans as a kind of "menagerie" species. There are entire other species of animals who exist either on the input or output streams of human civilization: from cows to roaches. It would have been much harder for humans to arrive at the current apex without these other animals. From the inside to outside we're part of a larger whole.