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Thermoregulatory behavior of red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and purple sea urchin S. purpuratus was determined in a horizontal thermal gradient. The preferred temperature select by the red sea urchin was 17.5 ± 0.3 ºC during the diurnal cycle and 16.8 ± 0.4 ºC for the night. The purple sea urchin preferred temperature during daytime of 18.8 ± 0.2 ºC and night was 17.4 ± 0.3 ºC. For both species of sea urchin preferendum between day and night cycles were different (P < 0.05), the purple sea urchin preferred higher temperatures that red urchin, suggesting that S. purpuratus use thermoregulatory behavior as a mechanism of environmental segregation to avoid competition for space and food with red sea urchin.