AR rats were found a by Ikadai et al. at Institute for Animal Reproduction in 1973. From 1997, backcross of AR rats onto Long Evans rats has started. After the 9th generation of backcrossing, it has been maintained by sib mating (F10 in May 2008).
This congenic strain is characterized by megacolon and white coat color with a small pigmented spot on the head as shown in AR rat. This congenic strain usually dies within 1-5 weeks of age, but some individuals can survive, which suggest that a Long Evans gene might rescue their phenotype.