Highlights

• Pterosaur trackmakers are identified using quantitative methods and diagnostic traits

• Three track morphotypes match pterosaur clades inferred as most terrestrially adapted

• Tracks support a mid-Mesozoic radiation of pterosaurs into terrestrial ecosystems

• Identifying trackmakers transforms our view of pterosaur biogeography and ecology

The absence of pterosaur tracks prior to the Middle Jurassic supports evidence from hand and foot morphology indicating that early pterosaurs were arboreal or scansorial. Track evidence demonstrates a major radiation of derived pterodactyloid pterosaurs into terrestrial niches beginning in the Middle Jurassic. Successive clades maintained a strong presence across diverse terrestrial environments throughout the latter half of the Mesozoic, highlighting the evolutionary versatility and ecological significance of pterosaurs in terrestrial environments.