The invention relates to a self-adaptive tracking probe applied to ultrasonic scanning detection on materials and structures. The probe comprises a guide plate, a fixing bolt, a guide plate fixing base, a guide sliding plate, a lower baffle, a fixing plate, a rotating seat fixing support plate, a tracking contact, an elastic pad, a spherical rotating seat, a rotating seat fixing base, a spherical rotating head, an energy converter connecting sleeve, an ultrasonic energy converter, a guide protecting sleeve and a rotating shaft. According to the self-adaptive tracking method, the probe is connected with an external scanning mechanism; the sound wave coupling contact of a front end of the ultrasonic energy converter with the lower end surface of the tracking contact is formed at the surface of a detected part; the probe is moved; and the tracking probe drives the ultrasonic energy converter and the surface of the detected part to be in the shape surface and position contact, so as to realize the self-adaptive tracking scanning of the ultrasonic energy converter to the shape surface of the detected part. By utilizing the self-adaptive tracking probe, the self-adaptive tracking capability and flexibility of the ultrasonic energy converter to a curved surface part of which the chord height of each meter is larger than 100mm can be greatly improved, and the tracking range of the ultrasonic energy converter is greatly enlarged.