Yes, I have turned up in this new book, What’s Next: The Experts’ Guide: Predictions from 50 of America’s Most Compelling People by Jane Buckingham.

I am one of the fifty “most compelling people” in the country. I’m still trying to explain what that means to my sons. I do like the company I get to keep in the pages of this tome, which has just hit the bookstores.

What’s Next takes cryptozoology seriously. It contains my next decade’s predictions about where I see the field going and what animals I feel will be discovered. I won’t spoil this author’s book by publishing my list of predictions here.

Well, come to think of it, let me share a favorite I’ve stated before, one of several in the book:

Explorers looking for “living dinosaurs” (in Africa) will find evidence that the animals they’re seeking are actually unknown forest rhinos. ~ Loren Coleman, page 53.

A wet deep rainforest rhino photographed in Asia, used to illustrate how un-rhino-like the species sometimes appear.

I thought I would mention the book and have a little fun by opening the floor to what you folks think is in store for cryptozoology’s future.

While you ponder that thought, here is the book’s description from the publisher, Harper.

What will the next ten years look like?

In her role as founder and president of The Intelligence Group, a consulting and trend-spotting company at the forefront of predictions about the ever-elusive youth and consumer market, Jane Buckingham spends her days looking for the telling details in today’s culture that give clues about what our future holds. What’s Next: The Experts’ Guide is the result of her conversations with dozens of fascinating people in a wide range of industries, all giving their highly individual perspectives on the world as they know it.

From education to the environment, from robotics to drug policy, with an emphasis on up-and-coming industries and news-making topics, some of the most compelling and timely matters of our era are addressed by dozens of contributors, including:

Renowned computer scientist Steve Ward, PhD, on the biggest issues regarding emerging technologies, intellectual property, and alternate economic models.

Actors Felicity Huffman and Bill Macy, on the need for new creativity in storytelling.

Campaign adviser Joe Trippi, on how politics will be turned upside down in the next five to ten years.

Latina magazine founder Christy Haubegger, on the optimism and growing prospects of the young Latino population.

Architect Greg Lynn, on how technology is uniting the world of design, from automobiles to art to movies.

Filled with surprising insights and details, What’s Next: The Experts’ Guide also shows how these leaders work, what they believe will be important, and what they think is not worth our time. In a world that seems to be changing faster than ever, What’s Next offers intriguing insights into how we can keep up—and stay ahead.

Additional authors among the “50 of America’s Most Compelling People” include:

Loren Coleman, cryptozoologist and author

Tony Hawk, skateboarder

Amy Ziff, travel writer

Shaun Alexander, NFL player

Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor

Dr. Joy Browne, radio talk show host

Rodney A. Brooks, MIT robotic professor

What are your cryptozoology predictions for 2008? For the next decade? What new animals will be discovered? What cryptid expeditions will be fielded?