The Unconscious Mind is Like a Little Animal Inside of Our Heads

I have given a lot of thought in the past to the nature and extent of two things: 

1) the intelligence of small animals, and 

2) the intelligence of our unconscious mind. 

Today I realized that these two things share many similarities. The subconscious pathways in our heads that affect our behavior, and even our thoughts without us knowing, are the primary pathways that determine behavior in many animals. This is part of the reason why less intelligent animals can think and behave but not be consciously aware of themselves. I have wondered for a long time whether our unconscious processes are sufficient or intelligent enough to constitute a separate mind or a true entity apart from our conscious mind. I am starting to think that they are - at least in the same sense that unaware animals are.