( CNN ) -- `` Eaten Alive '' ? Not quite . Herpetologist Paul Rosolie generated lots of hype ahead of his attempt during a Discovery Channel special to be eaten whole by a giant green anaconda , the largest and most powerful snake in the world . To many viewers ' disappointment , Rosolie was constricted by the snake but never consumed . `` Ultimately , after the snake constricted Paul for over an hour and went for his head , the experiment had to be called when it became clear that Paul would be very seriously injured if he continued on . The safety of Paul , as well as the anaconda , was always our number one priority , '' Discovery said in a statement . Viewers ultimately recoiled at the special after it aired Sunday and took to social media to blast the network for overselling the program 's title . `` Awful . No way that snake could have eaten someone his size . I was just hoping it could squeeze him to death at least but no such luck . Sorry to say I cheered for the snake , but frankly it had 10X more charisma than those lame excuses for humans had , '' said one CNN commenter . Rosolie presented himself as prey to the snake after putting on a special reinforced suit with helmet and devices to measure his vital signs , he said before the show aired in a news release on the Discovery Channel website . Before the special , Rosolie claimed that he spent an hour inside the snake , which was difficult because he 's claustrophobic . `` She got me right in the face , '' Rosolie said . `` The last thing I saw was her mouth wide open before everything went black . As this happened , she wrapped around me and took me off of my feet . I felt the suit cracking . It felt as if my arms were ripping out of their sockets . '' Rosolie did n't say much more about his experience in the western Amazon , which was filmed in advance , because he wanted everybody to tune in . Some CNN.com commenters were left hungry for more substance after watching . `` The last 30 minutes of the program shows him wrestling with the snake then trying to get but never getting eaten -- all of this is punctuated by overproduction ( i.e. , loud music , short scenes and shots cut together like an action movie , etc . ) to add drama where there really is none . When all is said and done , I 've been swallowed by as many anacondas as he has , '' wrote one viewer . The Discovery Channel said that it was Rosolie 's `` absolute intention to be eaten alive '' but that his and the snake 's well-being were of the utmost importance . Some animal rights organizations complained , but Rosolie says the snake came out fine . `` I would not have done this if there were any real chance of hurting or stressing out the snake , '' he said . Next , he wants to find the biggest anaconda . `` During an earlier expedition in the Amazon , we encountered a 26-foot-long anaconda that weighed hundreds of pounds , '' he said . `` The snake for the 'Eaten Alive ' project was big , about 18 feet long , but we know that there are even larger anacondas out there . '' CNN 's Sarah LeTrent contributed to this report .
NEW : Police say the special was overhyped ; he was not eaten alive . Naturalist says he wore a special suit and was swallowed by a giant green anaconda . ` ` The last thing I saw was her mouth wide open before everything went black '' Paul ##ie says he survived the ordeal and the snake is fine , too .