 Huxley added that to hunt evidence of this close ancestry between apes and humans, the regions where modern apes are found should be the focal point, hence, Africa.The "pithecometra principle" has been most notable in evolution theory by placing humanity as an offshoot of animal species, rather than a separate divine creation, and thus "pithecometra" has generated intense religious controversy for decades.Another of Darwin’s colleagues was Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834–1919).