Thomas Nagel's argument that subjective experience is irreducibly perspectival entails that self-awareness in non-human species may be phenomenologically incommensurable with human mirror-based self-recognition.

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Irreducibly perspectival(describing what first-person and present-time beliefs are): Something that cannot be understood completely without knowing whose viewpoint or perspective it comes from; it's always tied to a particular person's point of view.
Mirror-based self-recognition(a specific measure of self-awareness in humans that may not apply the same way to other animals): The ability to recognize yourself in a mirror, which scientists often use as a test to see if an animal has self-awareness or understands it has a separate identity.
Phenomenologically incommensurable(describing how animal self-awareness might differ from human self-awareness): So different in the way they feel or appear that they cannot be directly compared or measured against each other—like trying to compare the experience of seeing colors to the experience of echolocation.
Subjective experience(as used in philosophy of mind): What something feels like from the inside—your personal, conscious awareness of things, including emotions, thoughts, and sensations.
Thomas Nagel(as the philosopher being referenced): An influential American philosopher known for writing about consciousness, ethics, and how we understand ourselves. He published 'The Possibility of Altruism' in 1970 to explore whether we can be genuinely motivated to help others.

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