Aristotle distinguished about 500 species of animals, arranging these in the History of Animals in a graded scale of perfection, a nonreligious version of the scala naturae, with man at the top.
ˈæɹɪstˌɑːɾəl dɪstˈɪŋɡwɪʃt ɐbˌaʊt fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd spˈiːsiːz ʌv ˈænɪməlz, ɚɹˈeɪndʒɪŋ ðiːz ɪnðə hˈɪstɚɹi ʌv ˈænɪməlz ɪn ɐ ɡɹˈeɪdᵻd skˈeɪl ʌv pɚfˈɛkʃən, ɐ nˌɑːnɹᵻlˈɪdʒəs vˈɜːʒən ʌvðə skˈeɪlə nˈætʃɚɹˌiː, wɪð mˈæn æt ðə tˈɑːp.