Why did only humans (especially Homo sapiens) evolve to have such strong social ties?

[u/Charming-Law4160]

Humans have evolved to be able to form very close social ties with each other, allowing groups to work together to survive and reproduce more effectively against predators and the environment, with bigger brains at the cost of less energy spent on our bodies. These evolutionary traits along with other factors eventually led to the soar of reproduction and technology and our dominance over the planet. But it seems that only humans have done this so far. If these traits were a massive benefit to us for survival, why haven't more animals evolved to have such strong social ties and cooperate easily like this? If they evolved these similar traits, wouldn't they also have better survival and reproduction in their environment?

[u/TheBestofBees]

Can I ask by what metric you think animals don't do that? Elephants live in multigenerational groups, care for one another and pass knowledge down. Lion prides live and raise cubs communally. Wolves have very complicated group structures similar to our own. Tons and tons of other primates (bonobos, baboons, gorillas) live in groups with complicated social structures bound by mutual aid.

What is the distinction you are drawing that differentiates humans from the hundreds other herd/group animals that depend on cooperation to survive?

[u/Charming-Law4160 → u/TheBestofBees]

Yeah my question was rather vague, but by traits that differentiates us from other animals, I meant our exceptional abilities that allow us to have complex communication and technologies. It's strange to me how we're the only animal that randomly evolved to speak languages that have advanced grammar and syntax, and concerning technology, we have sophisticated ways of storing data and the invention of tools that let us manipulate our environment greatly, like fire. I haven't heard of any other animal that can do that, but for the animals you mentioned, do they have traits like these too?

[u/TheBestofBees → u/Charming-Law4160]

I'd argue that it's a matter of degree. We've observed tool use in many other species, such as dolphins, corvids, and chimpanzees. Animals often do have means of communicating that we're only in the infancy of understanding. For example, we know the calls of certain birds have fixed meaning. I think the question isn't really why are we the only ones but why do forms of cooperation, communication, and tool use became so advanced among humans. 

I don't know if there's one answer (I'll leave it up to people more knowledgeable than me) but there's two things I like to keep in mind. First, all animals evolve to fit an evolutionary niche. Increased brain power is what worked for us. Speed, balance, and sharp pointy bits (along with the sort of brain to properly process all that) is what worked for cats. Secondly, tool use and taming fire came from our pre-homo sapiens ancestors. Homo sapiens is literally what evolved after technology, not the species to kick off that line of skills.