  The phase space density, $\rho^Q$, of quarks in nuclei is studied using
realistic models of unintegrated quark distributions, known as transverse
momentum densities (TMDs). If this density exceeds unity for matter at normal
nuclear densities, the effects of the quark Pauli principle must play a role in
nuclei, and models in which the nucleon density at low momentum is small
(Quarkyonic matter) may become a starting point for an entirely new description
of nuclei. We denote the nuclear density for which $\rho^Q=1$ to be a
transmutation density, $n_T$, because quark degrees of freedom must be relevant
at that density. Including the TMDs of [G. de Teramond et. al,
\href{DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.182001} Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf
120}, 182002, (2018)] for the valence quarks and phenomenological TMDs for the
sea quarks we find that $n_T=0.17 \pm 0.04\,\rm fm^{-3}$, the density of normal
nuclear matter. Some of fhe implications of this finding are discussed.
