SCIENTISTS are showing off their shoes in support of a dinosaur-mad schoolgirl.

Last week, eight-year-old Sophia Trow attracted nationwide attention in her quest for dinosaur shoes for girls after The Northern Echo reported her plight.

The keen fossil hunter and science fan tweeted multi-national shoe makers Clarks to ask why they only made dino-related shoes for boys.

Sophia, from Middlesbrough, was left upset after a staff member told her mother, Jane Trow, that the dinosaur shoes of her dreams were unsuitable for girls.

Since then, female scientists from across the world have put their best foot forward and joined Sophia in a show of solidarity.

Using the hashtag #InMyShoes, scientists, palaeontologists and archaeologists have tweeted pictures of their footwear in a bid to support her.

The team behind the TrowelBlazers campaign – set up to celebrate pioneering women in archaeology, geology and palaeontology – were behind the heart-warming move.

On Friday, March 6, a call to arms was sent out on Twitter from the @trowelblazers account.

It said: “C’mon #WomenInScience, I think @jane_trow needs some inspirational #InMyShoes pics for #SophiaTrow. Show the shoes you #science in!”

Since then, responses have flooded in. The “all-girl” archaeological team at Lewes Castle showed off an array of boots, trainers and flats while osteoarchaeologist Hayley Forsyth displayed a pair of sturdy trainers alongside a jawbone and said: “These are the shoes I science in whilst analysing animal bones.”

Dwarf elephant expert and palaeobiologist Tori Herridge, from London, joined in by sharing a picture of her boots, “needed to hunt down fossils of the world’s smallest mammoth!”.

Archaeogeophysicist Kayt Armstrong, from Crete, said her “battered” and “metal free” boots were worn as they didn’t show up in data.

Sophia said she loved hearing from the scientists, saying: “It’s really good and I think they’re great because when I grow up I want to be a scientist.”

She added: “I think this all probably makes everyone glad someone has spoken about dinosaur shoes and maybe it will change things.”

Mrs Trow said the response to Sophia’s quest proved gender issues were a hot topic.

She said: “It’s been fabulous to hear from the scientists and I’m pleased other people have joined in like this.

“Because of them, my daughters have now heard of geophysics and that’s another option for them and more role models.

“The response has been surprising but obviously we’ve hit a nerve and things need to change – for girls and for boys.”